Surviving Vampires 101
by The Doctor's Charlene
Summary: Charlene Davis and Megan Swann get sent to the world of the Vampire Diaries, a dream come true for the fan girls…or it would be if they knew they got sent there. They have no recollection of their lives in our world, they only know the world of the world of the show they got sent to, leading very different lives. More inside...
1. Pilot, Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Summary:** Charlene Davis and Megan Swann get sent to the world of the Vampire Diaries, a dream come true for the fan girls…or it would be if they knew they got sent there. They have no recollection of their lives in our world, they only know the world of the world of the show they got sent to, leading very different lives. The question is…will they ever remember they're real lives? Or will they forever be stuck with not knowing who they truly are? And how will they survive the world of vampires without knowing what's going to happen?

 **Author's Note:** Recently started watching the Vampire Diaries again and thought about doing something entirely different with the story of Charlene and Megan. So, forget everything you know about Surviving in the World of Vampires, we're rebooting it all. I'll use some ideas from the original, but we're starting all over. The prologue is the same though. From then on, it's different, and I'll try not to use all the lines from the show, especially from my original characters. All I can promise though is that I'll try my best to do so. Also, it's gonna stay in third person, that way I don't have to switch in between first and third person point of view. Anyway, enjoy!

P.S. Prologue is put right in with the first part of the pilot. :)

* * *

 **Chapter One:**

 **Pilot, Part 1**

* * *

 _In the Beginning..._

"Damon's the hottest!"

"No, Stefan is!"

Charlene and Megan argued with each other, shouting across the room with harmless glares sprawled across their faces. This argument was a daily occurrence between the two best friends who had known each other since kindergarten. Since the two had known each other for so long, it was expected they would be into the same sorts of music, shows and characters, and like any best friends, they were. With one exception. Charlene was obsessed with Damon Salvatore from the show 'The Vampire Diaries' while Megan was obsessed with Stefan Salvatore, Damon's younger brother in the show. The two usually just argued back and forth and wouldn't stop until someone gave up. A couple of minutes later, Charlene threw her arms up in the air, tired of fighting with Megan for the moment.

"Fine!" she exclaimed in exasperation. "I give up!"

"Thank god!"

Charlene and Megan looked up towards the unexpected voice that floated through the living room from the doorway. Charlene's older brother Ben stood with an irritated scowl on his features, tugging restlessly at the sleeve of his red jumper.

"Oh, shut up!" Charlene shouted, pointing at him with a glare on her face. She wasn't the most stunning girl on the face of the planet, but she had a delicate prettiness about her that was alluring in another way entirely.

Ben rolled his eyes and continued his way through the room and up the stairs, "Whatever Char."

She stuck her tongue out at him childishly, which went unnoticed by his retreating form. After Ben disappeared onto the second floor, she turned towards Megan with a huge grin.

"Let's go watch TVD!" she shrieked excitedly, hopping on the tips of her toes in anticipation.

"First season?" Megan questioned with her own huge grin, barely containing her own enthusiasm.

"Duh!" Charlene laughed. "The first season is the best! Better than the third one, by far!"

Megan nodded her agreement. The two friends loved the show 'The Vampire Diaries' but after watching the start of the third season, they had both decided to stop watching it because they felt the story line revolved far too much around the love triangle. There was so much potential in the story lines and characters, but the writers kept them hidden in corners, allowing all the spotlight to be one the three leads. While they weren't complaining about the Damon and Stefan screen time, the blandness eventually got to be too much.

"Let's put it in!" Charlene grinned.

With that, the two best friends rushed over to the TV in excitement. She dragged out her 'The Vampire Diaries' box set, pulling out the first disc of the first season and sliding it into the DVD player. She pressed the 'play' button on the remote only to frown in confusion when nothing happened.

"Is something wrong?" Megan asked curiously from where she was standing by the lounge.

Charlene looked over at her best friend, "No, there's nothing wrong…but the DVD player isn't working."

Megan's brow furrowed as she crouched down to the DVD player's level. She picked it up to inspect the wires, and rolled her eyes humorously as she identified the issue.

"It's not hooked up," Megan told her friend, smirking to try and keep her laughter at bay.

"Oh…"

Charlene took the DVD player from her friend and started to hook it back up. Once all the wires were in the correct socket she beamed at Megan proudly.

"There, all better," she announced brightly.

She pressed 'play' again and was shocked when it still didn't work. Charlene growled under her breath and let out a small scream of frustration. She started banging on the top DVD player. She always had been one to get slightly violent when angered.

"Stupid…DVD…player!" Charlene exclaimed through a clenched jaw as she continued to hit it with all her strength.

BOOM!

The DVD player exploded. Smoke filled the air and Megan and Charlene let out screams, instinctively closing their eyes tightly so the smoke wouldn't sting them. The smoke was thick and heavy, and they knew no more.

* * *

 _Present_ _..._

A loud knock at the door woke up Charlene Gilbert from a very strange dream.

Charlene frowned as she sat up in bed, looking around the room. Well, that was weird… She shook her head. It wasn't the first time she had a strange dream. Ever since her parents got into a car accident with her younger sister in the backseat and died, she would have a strange dream. She never remembered most of them, though. This dream was different from the rest…Charlene decided not to think about it anymore as the door burst open, revealing her best friend, Megan Bennett on the other side.

Her brunette hair was pulled up into a messy bun with a few strands falling into her face and she grinned.

"Surprise, I'm here!" Megan said, throwing her arms dramatically.

Charlene smiled amused. "Aren't you always here, Meg?" she teased.

"Yeah…but it's the first day back to school! Our junior year!" Megan said excitedly, jumping onto Charlene's bed. "Why aren't you more excited?!"

She said nothing for a moment. "It is the first day back since my parents died…" she reminded.

Megan's positive attitude diminished at that. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" she almost wailed. "I'm a horrible best friend…"

"No, no. It's okay." Charlene tried to reassure her. She loved her positive attitude. It was better than how the people at school were gonna treat her and her siblings when they got there. She wouldn't want her best friend to ask her if she was okay ever second.

"No, it's not." Megan grabbed her hands, squeezing them. "I'm here if you need to talk about this…I'm your best friend. You can tell me anything, I just want you to know that."

Charlene squeezed her hands back. "I know, Meg. And I love you for it, I do. But I'm really okay.'

"Okay. Okay. I'll try not to worry…much." Megan joked at the end, bringing the positive smile back. Now, that was more like her best friend. "Now, come on, get your ass up and get ready! I'll help you pick an outfit that'll make you look fabulous and show that you are just fine and are the same Charlene Gilbert everyone knows and loves."

Charlene smiled back and giggled. "Sounds good to me."

And true to Megan's word, she picked out an outfit that she used to wore before her parents died.

As Megan skipped downstairs, saying she would meet her in the car, Charlene took a glance at the mirror and felt a bit uncomfortable. She shouldn't be okay. Her parents died…so why wasn't she still more upset and heartbroken about it? Maybe something was wrong with her brain…

Charlene sighed and shook her head as she headed downstairs, but not before passing Elena's room. Her younger sister by a few months sat on the couch in front of the large mirror of her room, writing in a journal with the sad look on her face that had been plastered on since their parents died. Maybe that was why Charlene wasn't so upset about all this…because she wasn't the one in the car when they died…and Elena was… Another sigh left the blonde's lips as she finally headed downstairs.

After goodbye to Jeremy and Jenna, their mother's sister and now guardian, Charlene went outside in the warm air.

Megan was in her car with the front window rolled down as Bonnie Bennett's car parked behind her. Bonnie was Megan's stepsister from Bonnie's father other marriage…but like the previous one that one failed when Megan and Bonnie were just babies. Since Megan's mom disappeared out of town, Megan had been living with Bonnie and her father.

Elena appeared beside Charlene and nudged her sister in the side. "You okay?"

Charlene glanced at her. "Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

Her sister gave her a fake smile and Charlene knew it was. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Charlene wanted to say, 'the first of many,' but she kept her mouth shut. "Okay…I guess I'll see you at school."

Elena pulled her into a hug first. "Be safe.'

She slowly hugged her sister back. "I will…same goes for you too, Elena." Charlene kissed the side of her head before she pulled away from the hug. She gave her a soft smile, then got into Megan's car. As they drove, Megan spoke.

"So, you know how I told you about my powers?" she asked.

Charlene flashed her a look. "Yeah, of course, I remember." How could someone forget that? Megan was apparently a witch, according to her Grams. She had told Bonnie the same thing, but Megan was the one who believed her. Charlene wasn't even supposed to know any of this. However, since she was the best friend, Megan had to tell her. Nobody else knew and it was gonna stay that way.

"What about them?" Charlene inquired.

"Well, I had another feeling this morning." Megan responded with a grin. "That this year…everything's gonna be different."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea."

Charlene chuckled. "That makes me feel better."

"Sorry! I can't know everything." Megan huffed. "But, let's just hope it's a good feeling and not a bad one."

Charlene nodded. "Yeah, let's hope so." She chuckled again and looked out the window. The next thing, she knew Megan had slammed on the breaks. Her body jerked forward as she gasped and her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Megan gasped, turning her body around to check on Charlene. "Are you okay?"

Charlene nodded shakily, placing a hand on her chest. "I'm fine…I'm fine…what the hell happened?"

"I don't know! This crow…it came out of nowhere!"

She nodded again, finally able to calm her racing heart. "Okay…I'm okay." She reassured Megan. "It just scared me."

"Yeah, me too." Megan laughed and Charlene laughed, shaking her head.

"Let's go to school."

-0-

Megan Bennett walked arm-in-arm with Charlene through the hallways. She made sure that no one would ask if her best friend was okay, knowing it was something Charlene didn't want. Good thing people feared her, for the most part anyway.

They got to their lockets and Megan leaned against hers.

"See? That wasn't too hard." She said.

Her best friend laughed. "Well, I think you giving the evil eye helped."

'You know, I think so too." Megan teased, flipping her eyes. Her eyes caught something and she frowned, seeing Jeremy Gilbert heading into the bathroom with some random dude. "Looks like Jeremy's at it again." She told Charlene.

Charlene saw too and groaned, turning her head back around. "Elena can deal with him, I can't." she shook her head. "This is just his way of coping. If he wants to do this, I can't stop him and neither can Elena, no matter how hard she tries to control the situation. You know how my sister is, she can't let things go. I hate to say this…but she needs to get over our parents' death, dwelling in what happened isn't helping the situation at all. She's my sister. And I love her but…"

Megan patted her on the shoulder. "I know and it's okay. Your allowed to cope the way you want too, Char. You don't have to feel guilty about feeling the way you feel."

"I know…"

Megan smiled as she patted her on the shoulder again. "Okay! Well, I have to use the restroom, be right back!" She kissed her cheek, gave her a quick one-armed hug, and headed towards the restroom.

When she finished, she exited the bathroom, all smiles. A squeak of surprise left her mouth as she bumped right into someone, nearly losing her footing. Whoever she bumped into though grabbed her shoulders, keeping her steady. A feeling rushed over her. It wasn't a bad feeling. She didn't know what it was, but knew it wasn't bad as she looked up to see who it was. She was met with the most gorgeous green eyes. They took her breath away.

"I'm sorry." Megan managed to say to the boy in front of her.

"No, no, it's my fault." He said with a smile. Her heart fluttered. His smile seemed to light up the room. There was a small silence without words being exchanged until he spoke up. "I'm Stefan."

Megan bit her bottom lip for a moment as she held out her hand. "I'm Megan…Megan Bennett."

Stefan smiled again and shook her hand, a spark going through Megan. "Nice to meet you, Megan."

"You too." Megan smiled back, glancing at the corner of her eye to see Charlene giving her a look and a wink. She shook her head, then looked back at Stefan. "Um…haven't seen you around before…new?"

He nodded. "Yeah…I uh just moved in with my uncle…at the Salvatore Boarding House."

"Oh? You're Zach's nephew?'

"Yeah…you know him?"

Megan shook her head. "Not really…I met him once, but he seems like he's a good guy. He must be since he let you move in." She smiled again and he smiled back.

"Yeah."

There was another silence, but this time, Megan broke it. "Well, I…I got to get to class…" Before she turned to leave, Stefan's voice stopped.

"Uh…maybe I'll see you around." He said.

Megan turned back around and smiled teasingly. "If you're lucky, Mr. Salvatore."

Stefan chuckled, causing a grin to erupt on Megan's face as she went back over to Charlene.

"Who was that?" Charlene asked in a whisper as they locked arms to go to their History class.

"Stefan Salvatore." Megan responded excitedly. "He's cute, isn't he?"

"Very." Charlene agreed.

"Paws off, he's mine." Megan teased.

"Don't worry, I'll keep them off. Besides, he's not my type."

"Yeah, you like the bad boys. Need I remind you about Tyler Lockwood."

Charlene groaned. "Don't remind me! I want to leave _that_ in the past. And not only that, he's too busy screwing Vicki Donavan to even think about me."

"Never said he was thinking about you…I was saying you like bad boys." Megan shrugged. "Tyler was just a suggestion."

"Right…" Charlene muttered.

Megan smiled as they finally entered their History class. She spotted Stefan and she wanted to wave at him, but she didn't want to seem desperate so she pretended to ignore him as she sat down next to Charlene.

Elena and Bonnie were in the same class as they were. Though they were their sisters, they never talked in class as least in this one. The teacher was an asshole.

"Morning class."

Speak of the Devil.

The pleasantries were over and Mr. Tanner got into his lesson, droning on and on. Megan barely listened. Not because she wasn't interested, well that was a part of it, but most of it was because of Stefan Salvatore. She was staring at him, and he was gazing at her. It was weird, but not unpleasant though.

Charlene knew he was too and glanced over at him, meeting his gaze for a moment. It looked like he was staring a hole straight through her. She didn't like it at all. He stared at her like he knew her.

And that scared her.

-0-

After leaving school, Charlene went to find Elena, but she had to ask Bonnie where she went. She wasn't all that surprised to learn that she went to the cemetery. Charlene knew her sister had been lying saying that she hadn't been doing that.

Megan dropped her off and she trudged along the dirt road of the cemetery. Abruptly, she stopped because she thought she had heard something. She shook her head, figuring it was nothing.

Charlene put her arms over her chest. She honestly didn't know why Elena liked it out here. She knew it was to be closer to their parents, but still. It was creepy out here.

She rubbed her arms, feeling a sudden chill. Out of nowhere, fog slowly started to appear around and a crow cawed in the distance, making her jump.

Charlene got scared and started running only to trip and fall, twisting her ankle, scrapping her knee, but she didn't know as she stumbled back on her feet and started running again, well as best as she could with a twisted ankle.

The fog disappeared just as quick as it started and she forced herself to skid to a stop, causing her to hurt her ankle a little bit more. She cried out in response.

"Are you alright?" Charlene jumped at the sound of the unfamiliar voice and whirled around my, gasping at the sight of a blue-eyed man in front of her.

He tilted his head and smirked.

"I'm fine…" she managed to say. "Just twisted my ankle, that's all."

"Ooh." The man winced. "That must have hurt." He stared at her and Charlene shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah, but I'll…I'll be okay." She said. "Nothing the doctor can't fix.'

"Right, the good ole doctor." The man responded sarcastically. "I don't think that's the only thing that needs fixing."

Charlene gave him a strange look. He nodded down and she looked to see her knee was bleeding. "Oh…yeah, I tripped too."

"Your very clumsy, aren't you?" The man smirked.

"Not normally…there was this fog…and this crow…just got a bit freaked out." Charlene explained, not knowing why she was telling the stranger this.

"Ah. Understandable. I'd be afraid too." The man didn't give her that vibe.

"I have a hard time believing that." Charlene stared at him, amused.

He smirked. "You're smart. Guess dumb blonde isn't in your description."

Charlene couldn't help but giggle. "Definitely not. Whoever you are."

"Damon…Damon Salvatore." The man, or now known as Damon, smirked. "Nice to meet you…"

"Charlene." Charlene offered. "My name is Charlene."

"Charlene." It rolled off his tongue. "Nice name."

"Thank you." Charlene changed the subject. "I should, uh, go." She turned around, but was forced to turn back, being gripped by her upper arms. Before she could even do anything, Charlene lost her words as she caught his eyes.

"You're going to forget ever meeting me…"

Charlene closed her eyes and when she opened them, she looked around, confused. What was she doing…oh right? She was trying to find Elena. That fog and that crow really messed her mind up. Charlene shook her head as she wobbled away.

So, she didn't notice the crow perked on a nearby tombstone, reading: _GREYSON GILBERT AND MIRANDA GILBERT NEE SOMERS. LOVING PARENTS._

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Pilot, Part 2**

 **Well, what do you think? Leave it in a review. ;)**


	2. Pilot, Part 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the next part of the pilot! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires. Please leave reviews!

* * *

 **Chapter Two:**

 **Pilot, Part 1**

* * *

Charlene managed to get back home. Megan disappeared somewhere and she didn't find Elena anywhere. So much for being a best friend.

She groaned as she walked on her foot. It was a killer. Charlene got to the kitchen, still wobbling. There, she saw Elena, Megan, and Aunt Jenna.

Jenna tended to a wound of Elena's knee.

"What happened?" Charlene asked, getting Megan's attention.

"Char!" she exclaimed in relief as she rushed over to her and gave her a hug only Megan could give. "What the hell happened to you?! I found Elena after you didn't return to the car and we searched for you, then there was this crow and…"

"Wait, a crow?"

"Yeah, and there was this fog everywhere! We couldn't see anything at all! And Elena hurt her knee, and we thought we were done for, but we ran into Stefan! It didn't last long though, he got weird when he saw Elena bleeding, it was weird!" Megan said all of this in a rush, if Charlene wasn't her best friend, she wouldn't have understood a weird she had said.

Charlene nodded. "That is weird…"

"Yeah." Megan said, out of breath. She looked down and noticed her knee, and the way her ankle was twisted. "What happened?"

"I hurt my ankle…and my knee…just being my clumsy self." Charlene said slowly, but the look in her showed there was more to the story. She wasn't gonna say it with Jenna and Elena in the room.

Megan got it with just that one look and Charlene turned her attention to Elena as she walked over. "Are you okay?" she asked her sister.

"I'm fine, still just a little freaked out." Elena responded.

"Maybe stay away from the graveyard for a little while." Charlene teased. Elena looked at her, exasperated. "Oh, stop being so serious. I'm just teasing."

Her sister just sighed. "I know, sorry."

Charlene patted her on the shoulder. "It's alright."

"I guess it's your turn?" Aunt Jenna inquired with a teasing grin as Elena hopped of the counter and Charlene took her place with a little help from Jenna.

"Yeah, thanks, too bad you can't help with the twisted ankle." Charlene expressed.

"No…but I can give you medicine for it, that's all I can do." Jenna told her with a laugh.

"Right."

-0-

Megan relaxed on her best friend's bed, arms above her head as she watched Charlene get ready to go to the Grill. They were meeting Bonnie, Elena, and Caroline there.

"Are you sure you want to go? We can just chill here, eat junk food, and watch movies." Megan suggested, worry in her tone. She wanted to go, maybe she would run into Stefan again, but she didn't want to go if Charlene didn't want to.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Charlene slipped on her red leather jacket. "If Elena can try to get back to normal, so can I."

"If that's what you want to do." Megan told her, trying to suppress her excitement.

Charlene turned her head with a small smile. "You can be a little more excited."

With that, she squealed with excitement. "Thank God!" she exclaimed. "I thought I'd have to go by myself!"

"You would have had Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline." Charlene reminded her.

"Well yeah, and I love them, but it wouldn't be much fun without my best friend, you know."

Charlene nodded and smiled softly. "Thanks."

"Of course. I love you, Char."

Her smile widened. "I love you too."

Just then, the doorbell rang. Charlene went to leave and go get it, but Megan stopped her.

"I can get it." She chipped happily.

"Okay."

Megan left her friend's room and headed downstairs, to the front door. The door rang again, causing her to swing open the door, revealing Stefan on the other side.

"Stefan." Megan was surprised to see him.

Stefan smiled. "Hi Megan."

She shook her head and smiled back. "Hi! Well, this is a surprise. How did you know I'd be here?" She was a bit suspicion and it probably showed in her voice.

"It's a small town…I asked around." Stefan offered.

Megan didn't think anything by it. "Oh…okay…"

"I wanted to apologize for earlier. I know it was strange."

She waved it off. "It's okay, Stefan. You're not the only one who feels icky around blood."

"Icky?" An amused look crossed his face.

Megan rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up." She laughed. "It's a word." She shook her head, biting her lip as she stared up at him. "So, uh, what are you doing here?"

"I thought you might need these." Stefan held up her keys.

"Where…" It took her a moment to realize she must have dropped them at the cemetery. "Shit, thank you." She flashed Stefan a grateful look. "Thank you for bringing them back."

"No problem." There was a pause. "Well, I should go…" Before he could, Megan stopped him by grabbing his arm. The same feeling went through. The same one she had when she first met Stefan Salvatore.

"I…" she lost her train of thought, getting lost in the feeling for a moment until Charlene broke it.

"Megan, I'm…" She trailed off as Megan turned around and saw her best friend with Elena right beside her. Her best friend's sister looked embarrassed, but also a little jealous. However, Megan didn't comment on that part, or rather didn't even notice. "Oh…" She shifted on her feet awkwardly. "Um…am I interrupting?"

"No." Megan managed to say. "I was just about to ask Stefan if he wants to come to the Grill with us." She looked back at her. "If that's okay."

Charlene smiled. "Um yeah, Stefan, you should come."

Stefan smiled at them both.

Megan beamed, taking her keys from Stefan. "Great! I'll drive."

-0-

After parking in the parking lot of the Mystic Grill, the place where most of the teenagers hung out after school and during the weekend. Charlene followed slowly behind Megan and Stefan with Elena close beside her. She watched as Megan talked animatedly to the object of her affection. Obviously, her best friend was interested and Stefan seemed to be interested in her. At least Charlene hoped he was. The last boyfriend Megan had broken her heart. His name was Josh, he had been in the same grade as the rest of them had, but moved away in the middle of freshman year. It had broken Megan's heart to see him move away, so Charlene hoped that this time around, her best friend wouldn't get hurt in the end.

"What's going on between Megan and the new kid?" Elena asked in a whisper, breaking Charlene's thoughts.

The blonde shrugged. "I don't know…I just know she's interested in him."

"Mm."

"Why?" Charlene asked.

"No reason." Elena responded quickly and faced forward.

Charlene frowned. "Are you interested in him?" No response, so she took that as a yes. "You just broke up with Matt, Elena. You can't be interested in someone so quickly."

"Why not?"

She shook her head, deciding not to respond as she didn't want an argument to happen between them. They already disagreed about what to do with Jeremy and his drug problems. Charlene wanted to leave him alone and let him get over this obstacle by himself. Elena, however, wanted to get him to stop and kept bothering him about it. It obviously wasn't helping, but her sister was stubborn as hell and wasn't gonna stop bothering him about it.

Luckily, Elena didn't press it.

They went inside and Megan waved excitedly over to their group, Caroline, Bonnie, and Matt.

"Hey guys!" she said bubbly as Stefan stared at her with a slight smile on his face.

And Matt stared at Elena with that wounded puppy dog look. Charlene felt bad for him. She knew that he was in love with Elena and was heartbroken about them breaking up. Charlene couldn't blame him, but she knew in the long run Elena had done the right thing. It was better than her sister just stringing Matt along, like she had done before their parents died.

Charlene glanced at Elena to see if she had noticed the look on Matt's face. She did if the look on her face was any hint. Her sister looked as if she didn't know if she should go in or not. Megan and Stefan were already half-way to the table as Charlene spoke.

"Come on, Elena." She said softly. "I know it's awkward being around Matt now, but really, it's gonna be fine."

Elena sighed. "I know…" she looked up at her older sister. "Do you think he'll stay mad at me forever?"

"No, he won't be. It's only been six months since you guys broke up. It's just gonna take some to get over." Charlene told her wisely. She was always wise beyond her years, at least that's what she got told a lot by her parents.

Her sister nodded, smiling slightly. "Thanks sis."

Charlene smiled back. "Of course." She told her, giving her a one arm hug before locking her arm with her sister. "Now, come on."

Together, they went over to the table and Matt had already stood up, leaving the table.

Elena smiled sadly as they sat down and Charlene stared at her sympathetically. She patted her sister on the shoulder as Caroline spoke up.

"So, you were born in Mystic Falls?" she asked, eager to learn about the new kid. Though knowing Caroline Forbes, she already got all that information between third and fourth period. Charlene shared a amused look with Megan, knowing her best friend was thinking the same.

The smirk on Megan's face just proved that fact.

Charlene stifled a laugh as she leaned against the palm of her hand. Stefan nodded.

"Mm-hmm. And moved when I was still young."

"So, have you've been a lot of places?" Megan asked with a gleam of interest in her eyes. She loved Mystic Falls, but always wanted to go and travel the world.

Stefan smiled. "A few places actually."

"That's awesome." Megan said excitedly. "I love it here in Mystic Falls, but I would love to travel one day. You know, when I have a job, and money, of course."

He chuckled. "Yeah, that would help."

Megan giggled, like a school girl. "Yeah."

Caroline cleared her throat hard, gaining their attention. She looked annoyed, but managed to keep a smile on her face.

"What about your parents?" Caroline questioned.

"Caroline." Bonnie gave her a look.

"What?"

Stefan shook his head. "It's fine." He tapped on the table. "Uh, my parents passed away."

Charlene could sympathy with that and so could Elena.

"I'm sorry." Elena apologized with a sad smile. She glanced at Charlene, then back at Stefan. "Any siblings?"

"None that I talk to. I live with my uncle."

Caroline changed the subject, seeing how uncomfortable Stefan looked with the 'sibling' subject. "So, Stefan, if you're new, then you don't know about the party tomorrow."

"It's a back to school thing at the falls." Bonnie added in.

Stefan turned his attention to Megan, staring at her. "Are you going?"

Megan blushed at his staring, but nodded with a bright smile. "Yeah, I'd never miss the back to school party."

He smiled back as they stared at each other.

Charlene smiled to herself as she watched them. She was glad to see Megan interested in someone again after so long. Charlene just…hoped that Stefan wouldn't hurt her.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Pilot, Part 3**

 **Reviews please! :D**


	3. Pilot, Part 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the next part of the pilot! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires. Please leave reviews!

* * *

 **Chapter Three:**

 **Pilot, Part 3**

* * *

The next day, they were back in Mr. Tanner's classrooms, listening to his _attention-grabbing_ lesson on the Battle of Willow Creek. Megan wasn't a big fan of school in the first place, but History was her worst and boring subject in the world…okay, a bit overdramatic but it was the truth. The class would be interesting if it wasn't for a certain teacher. He was an ass most of the day, and everyone did wonder sometimes why he even had a job here in the first place. Probably because he was the football coach. Still though.

The only good thing about this class was Stefan was here, giving her a bit of eye candy to look at. It distracted her from the _mind-numbing_ lecture.

Speaking of Stefan, he caught her gaze and Megan didn't bother looking away, giving him a smile. He smiled back. She blushed softly, biting her lip cutely as she looked away and she caught Charlene's teasing look. Megan rolled her eye as she mouthed a shut up to try again and pay attention to Mr. Tanner's lecture. She did catch Charlene's teasing look. In response, she mouthed shut up but her best friend just grinned.

"The Battle of Willow Creek took place right at the end of the war in our very own Mystic Falls." Mr. Tanner said, leaning back against the desk as he stood in front of it. "How many causalities resulted in this war? Ms. Bennett?" If he hadn't been staring at Bonnie, Megan would have thought he had been talking to her. Thank God, he hadn't been.

Bonnie was taken aback by him calling on her, but Megan thought she shouldn't be so surprised. Usually Tanner would pick the first person he saw that wasn't paying attention. Given it was Megan most of the time, but luckily, it wasn't this time.

"Um a lot?" Bonne guessed nervously. "I'm not sure. Like a whole lot."

Tanner didn't look amused. _'Wrong thing to say sis.'_ Megan thought, giving her sister a concern look.

"Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Ms. Bennett." Tanner said cruelly.

Megan let out a low growl and opened her mouth to stand up for her sister, but Charlene kicked her leg to keep her from saying anything. She winced before she glared at her best friend. Charlene put on a innocent look and Megan just rolled her eyes. She should be thankful though. The last thing she needed was a tongue lashing from Tanner.

"Mr. Donavan." Tanner turned to Matt. "Would you like the opportunity to overcome your embedded jock stereotype?"

He grinned. "Its okay, Mr. Tanner, I'm cool with it." This got a chuckle out of everyone.

Again, Mr. Tanner wasn't amused. Everyone noticed and the laughter died. "Mm. Elena?" Elena looked startled but he paid her no mind as he continued. "Surely you can enlighten us about one of the town's most significantly historical event?"

"I…" Elena trailed off and Charlene tried to save her.

"Mr. Tanner, maybe you should ask someone else." She said.

Tanner's lips pursed. "Are you the teacher, Ms. Gilbert?"

"Well no…"

"Then, you don't have the right to tell me who to ask." Charlene said nothing and slumped in her seat.

Megan winced. Her best friend just been Tannered and on the second day too.

"Now Elena." Mr. Tanner turned back to the other Gilbert. "Mind answering the question?"

Elena bit her lip. "I'm sorry, I don't know."

In response, he sighed. "I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons, Elena. For you and your sister, but the personal excuses ended with summer break."

Her eyes casted down, and Charlene ducked her head. Megan felt the anger creeping up, wanting to explode. Before it had the chance to, Stefan spoke up.

"There was 346 casualties." He answered Tanner's question with ease. "Unless you're counting local civilians."

Tanner nodded. "That's correct, Mister.…?"

"Salvatore."

For the first time, Mr. Tanner's face showed something other than disdain. Actual interest.

"Salvatore. Any relation to the original settlers here at Mystic Falls."

Stefan became a little guarded, especially in the eyes. Megan only knew this because she was probably staring a little too intently. She couldn't help but wonder why he was guarded, at least sometimes. He was such a mystery to her. Something she definitely wanted to figure out. Maybe it was the witch in her, or something else entirely.

However, it didn't stop Stefan from answering the question.

"Distant."

Tanner nodded. "Well, very good. Except, of course, there was no civilian casualties in this battle."

"Actually, there were 27, sir." Stefan corrected. "Confederate soldiers, they fired on the church, believing it to be housing weapons. They were wrong. It was a night of great loss. The founder's archives are, uh, stored in civil hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts, Mr. Tanner."

The students all stifled their laughs, but Megan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

It earned a glare from Mr. Tanner. Megan noticed and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, Mr. Tanner." She apologized. When he turned away, she grinned over at Stefan, giving him a thumbs up.

* * *

After school was over, Charlene went over to Megan's house to help her get ready for the after school party. She made sure to bring her own clothes to change over there since they would leave together to go to the party.

She knocked on the door and the door immediately opened, revealing Megan.

"Char!" she said excitedly as she always did when they saw each other. Even if it had only been a few hours since they last saw each other.

Charlene would never get tired of it either. Being with Megan kept her mind off her parents. Charlene grinned at her best friend.

"Hey!"

Megan tugged her inside. "Come on, let's get ready. Don't want to be late."

"We have a few hours, Meg." Charlene said amused.

"Well, still! Don't want to be late, can't miss Stefan." Megan headed upstairs and Charlene followed her.

Charlene shook her head. "Don't worry, I don't think Stefan's gonna leave the party until he sees you anyway."

"You think?" Megan asked hopefully.

"I don't think. I know."

Her best friend smiled at her, a big toothy smile. Charlene smiled back.

"I'm happy for you." Charlene said. "I haven't seen you this interested in a man since Josh."

Megan didn't respond to that until they got to her bedroom and Charlene settled down on her bed.

"Yeah, well, that was freshman year." The black haired girl said, shrugging. "I had to get over him sometime…and I don't know…there's something about Stefan I like. He's different from any guy I met before. You know how on the first day, I said I had a feeling that things were going to be different this year. I think Stefan is gonna have something to do with it."

Charlene didn't know what to say to that. "Well, I just hope he doesn't hurt you. Then he'll have to answer to me."

Megan laughed and flopped on the bed, next to Char. She wrapped her arm around Charlene.

"Glad to have you around, girl."

Charlene winked. "Tell me something I don't know."

This made her laugh as she hugged her before she let go and got off the bed as they both got ready.

Finally, getting to the party, Charlene and Megan met up with Elena and Bonnie. Not before getting some drinks though. Charlene really only got hers for show. She wasn't a big fan of drinking, but she didn't want to be lame.

"Have you seen Stefan?" Megan asked, looking around.

"I haven't." Elena answered.

Charlene stared at her, hoping her sister hadn't been looking for him too. She knew her sister well enough to know when she was interested in something and she saw that clear as day on Elena's face. Maybe she shouldn't be worrying about Stefan hurting her best friend.

"Me either." Bonnie said. "I'm sure he's here somewhere."

"I'm gonna look for him." Megan drank the rest of her beer before handing her plastic cup to Charlene. "I'll be back."

With that, she left and Charlene turned to Elena. "Elena…"

Elena didn't let her finish. "I know what you're going to say, but I'm not interested in Stefan."

"Elena, you did admit that he was a little pretty." Bonnie reminded her. The brunette gave her a look. "What?"

"That doesn't mean anything, I wouldn't hurt Megan like that…even if I was interested in Stefan." Elena mumbled.

Charlene said nothing, but she hoped Elena was telling the truth.

"Come on Char." Bonnie said. "You can't blame her. He does have that romantic novel stare."

Again, she didn't say anything, shaking her head.

"It doesn't look like he's here anyway." Elena informed.

"Where he is then?" Bonne inquired.

"I don't know." Elena shrugged before giving her a grin. "You tell me, you're the psychic one."

Bonnie laughed. "Right, I forgot." She shook her head. "Okay, so give me a second. Grams says I have to concentrate."

"Wait, you need a crystal ball." Elena took the empty bottle from Charlene and handed it to Bonnie.

Bonnie's fingers brushed against Elena and a spaced out look crossed her face. Charlene recognized the look. It was the same look Megan got when she would have a vision. It didn't last long and Bonnie snapped out of it, abruptly pulled her hand back.

Elena frowned. "What?"

"That was weird. When I touched your hand, I saw a crow." Charlene stiffened at that. "There was a fog, a man." She was lost in thought for a moment, shaking her head to snap out of it. "I'm drunk. It's the drinking. There's nothing psychic about it. Yeah?" It was said more like a statement than a question, not requiring an answer. "Okay, I'm gonna get a refill." She hurried off and Elena ran after her, leaving Charlene alone.

That was strange. Not just because of what happened to Bonnie, but because of the whole crow thing. What did it even mean? Charlene shook her head. She couldn't understand this magic thing even if she tried.

Charlene turned around and Stefan was right in front of her. She jumped.

"Sorry." Stefan apologized. "Didn't mean to scare you."

She calmed down. "No, it's okay. You just startled me, that's all." Charlene changed the subject. "Oh, Megan was looking for you, by the way."

"I was looking for her. Do you know where you went?"

"I think she went that way." Charlene pointed.

He nodded and smiled. "Okay, thanks Charlene."

"Please call me Char." Charlene told him, smiling back.

He smiled. "Okay. Thank you, Char." He went to leave but Charlene grabbed his arm.

"Stefan." He looked at her. "Please don't hurt, Megan." He looked confused and she went on. "She had a bad relationship and I don't want her to get into another one. You seem like a nice guy. So did Josh, though. I just don't want to see her hurt again. She's my best friend, but she's like my sister. So I don't hurt her, or else you'll have to answer to me. And trust me, you don't want to get me mad."

Stefan nodded, a serious look on his face. "You don't have to worry about that, Char. I wouldn't hurt her."

"Okay…good." Charlene let go of his arm and he went off to find Megan. The blonde stared after him, hoping he was telling the truth.

* * *

Her search for Stefan was interrupted by Caroline Forbes ranting to her about how Stefan turned her down.

"He stared at me, like I was some idiot, Megan! Can you believe that?" Caroline didn't let her respond. "I was trying to be friendly, but he just turned me down. It was completely embarrassing!"

"Caroline, maybe he just wasn't interested."

Caroline crossed her arms. "He told me as much, but he could have been nicer about it."

Megan could just nod as her eyes searched the area. She finally spotted Stefan and he found her, giving her a smile.

"Look Care, it's going to be okay. There's other fish in the sea." Megan said, patting her friend on the shoulder. "I'm gonna go get a drink." Before Caroline could say anything, she was already gone. "Stefan, hi!" She bounced up to him, grinning. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Me too. I guess we just keep missing each other."

Megan giggled. "Yeah, I guess so. So…want to go on a walk?"

"Sounds great."

They walked until they were away from the party, walking along a bridge. It wasn't too far away from the party, but it was away from people. Surprisingly, Megan wasn't nervous about being alone with Stefan. She felt completely safe in his presence. It was sort of strange since she didn't know him very well, but Megan was enjoying herself too much to really even think about it.

"I like Charlene, she seems like a good friend." Stefan said.

"She's more than that!" Megan told him cheerfully. "She's my best friend. I don't know what I'd do without that girl. Life wouldn't be the same without her."

He smiled at that. "I bet…she cares about you a lot."

Hearing that, Megan groaned. "She gave you the speech, didn't she?"

"The one where I shouldn't hurt you who I have to answer to her."

"Yep, that's the one." Megan laughed as she shook her head. "Sorry about that, she's just protective."

He shook his head. "No, no, it's okay. It was sweet."

Megan chuckled. "Yeah." They stopped walking and together, they gazed at the full moon. It was beautiful tonight. It stayed silent between the two until Megan broke it. "So, are you happy to be back in Mystic Falls?"

"Yeah I am. It hasn't changed that much since I've been here."

"Mm…it is weird being back here though? I mean, it would be strange for me if I came back after being away for so long."

"At first." Stefan said slowly, making Megan realize she was probably being too nosy.

Megan felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry if I was being too nosy. Sometimes I don't know when to shut up."

"Don't apologize, I…" He trailed and Megan could have sworn his eyes started to change, just like it had when Elena tripped and hurt her knee in the graveyard.

"Stefan, your eye…" Megan said, but trailed off as Stefan interrupted her, turning away.

"Oh, um…yeah no. It's, um, it's nothing. Um, are you thirsty? I'm gonna get us a drink." Stefan hurried away before Megan could say anything.

She frowned after him. He was so strange.

* * *

Elena was still checking to make sure Bonnie was alright, so Charlene stood there at the party, bored out of her mind. She always hated going to these sort of things. Even when she was going out with Tyler Lockwood, who was known for parties, she hated them. She had only pretended to like them because Tyler didn't exactly like the word no. Charlene really shouldn't be thinking about him and needed to remember why they broke up the first place. He had cheated on her with Vicki Donavan.

She should have known Tyler would do something like that, but it was still a shock to find them making out in the girl's bathroom.

Just thinking about it actually made her want to drink. However, she wasn't giving him the satisfaction.

Elena returned and Charlene looked up.

"Did you find her?" she asked.

"Yeah. She's fine, just was a little spooked, I guess. I don't know. That was just weird." Elena looked away, then she groaned. "God, you gotta be kidding me!"

Charlene was startled. "What?"

"Jeremy!"

The blonde looked to see her brother sneaking into the woods, probably to do drugs. Charlene sighed heavily.

"Just leave him alone."

"Char." Elena looked like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Even though, Charlene had told her this before, but she figured this was the first time Elena actually heard her.

"I'm sorry, but bothering him isn't helping. It's only going to drive him away. Do you really want that?"

"Well, it's better than him wasting his life away!" Elena snapped. "You don't have to go after him, but I'm going to." With that, she ran after Jeremy, earning a groan from Charlene because she couldn't let them go into the woods by themselves.

So, she ran after the two of them. Charlene managed to catch up to them.

"Jeremy, where the hell are you going?" Elena yelled, her voice echoing in the darkness.

"I don't want to hear it!"

"Yeah, well, too bad!"

"Would you guys just stop the fighting?!" Charlene groaned. "It's getting old! And it's not helping anything!"

They ignored her. Charlene would have tried again, but Jeremy tripped. The female Gilberts skidded to a stop and both of their eyes widened in horror at the sight of Vicki Donavan laying on the ground in a pool of blood.

"Vicki!" Jeremy screamed.

Normally, Charlene would have been the calm one, but she just wasn't this time around because here was someone she had known ever since she was little laying on the ground, seemingly dead.

"Oh, my God!" Elena gasped.

Jeremy quickly scooped her up and ran back to the party, Charlene and Elena running beside him.

"Somebody help!" Elena cried bloody murder, gathering the attention of everyone at the party.

Matt was the first one to run up, and his eyes widened. "Vicki?" He said as if he didn't believe this was sister. When he finally realize what he was seeing was real, he yelled in horror, "Vicki, what the hell?!"

"What happened to her?"

"Somebody, call an ambulance!"

Tyler tried to shove people out of the way. "Everybody, back up! Give her some space!"

"It's her neck." Elena tried to explain, trying to stay calm. "Something bit her. She's losing a lot of blood!"

"Put this on her neck."

"Vicki, Vicki, come on, open your eyes, look at me."

Charlene just stood there, not knowing what to think. Her mind was going into overdrive. Amongst the chaos, she managed to find Megan and her best friend was standing off the side, her face void of all emotion.

After everything calmed down somewhat, Charlene found her best friend, sitting down on a fallen log.

"Megan…are you alright?" Charlene asked softly as she sat down next to her.

"Yeah." Her voice was quiet, unlike the bubbly and happy voice Megan usually had. "I just can't believe what happened to Vicki…"

"Yeah me either…" Charlene said softly, looking out at the slowly dying party. "These animal attacks are getting out of hand."

Megan said nothing for a moment. "I don't think it was an animal attack." She informed, and Charlene turned her surprised.

"Really? What could it have been then?"

"That's the thing I don't know…but I don't think this is the end of what's going on…" Megan said slowly. "I have a feeling that this is just the beginning…"

* * *

Megan sat in her living room, dressed in her comfy pajamas. No ounce of makeup on her face. After today, it felt good just sitting around, doing nothing at all. Normally, Megan would be hanging out with Charlene. She just didn't feel like it tonight. Charlene understood.

She had the TV on, however, she wasn't paying attention to it. Too busy thinking about the feelings she had been having. She did call Grams to get her opinion. She just said that she would understand her feelings eventually. Megan hoped so, because just like she told Charlene all these things that were happening, it wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

Megan snapped out of her thoughts when there was a knock on the door. She frowned. Who could that be? Sighing, Megan got up off the couch and to the front door. She opened the door and there was Stefan on the other side. Megan freaked out a bit. It was strange. After the whole Vicki thing, Megan couldn't stop the feeling of him having something to do with what happened, or at least knew who hurt Vicki. She tried not to show it though.

"Stefan." Megan breathed. "What are you doing here?"

He stared at her with soft, concerned eyes. "I know it's late, but, uh…I needed to know that you were okay."

Megan couldn't help but smile at his concern. "I'm fine, Stefan. I'm sorry for spacing out on you like that. I do that sometimes."

"It's okay."

Once they started talking, the freaking out feeling disappeared and a sense of calm rushed over Megan. Geez, her feelings were all over the place. Ever since she met Stefan. What was it about Stefan that made her feel all these things?

"Megan?"

The sound of her name broke her out of her thoughts. "Yeah?"

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Stefan gave her a smile and went to leave, but Megan stopped him.

"You don't have to go just yet." Megan told him, biting her lip. "Would you like to come in?"

Stefan said nothing for a moment before he smiled and nodded. "Yes."

Megan moved out of the way, so he could step inside. She closed the door behind them.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Night of the Comet, Part 1...**

 **Review? :D**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'm really liking how this story going. It's much different from the previous one, at least I think so. Anyway, until the next chapter everyone!**


	4. Night of the Comet, Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the next part of the pilot! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires. Please leave reviews!

* * *

She had another one of those dreams.

It was different from the last one, but not too different. It was still her…and Megan…both of them living different lives from the ones they were living.

Charlene didn't know what to think of it all. They were still just dreams, not real.

She sighed as she sat up in her bed, running her fingers through her blonde locks to get rid of the tangles in her hair. Just then, her cellphone on the nightstand beside her bed, started to ring. She didn't have to even look at the caller ID to know it was Megan.

"Hello?" Charlene asked sleepily.

"Char, you awake?!"

She yawned. "Barely, but yeah."

"Okay, good! Guess what? Stefan, came over last night!" Megan squealed.

This made her wake up more, at least a little. "Really? What happened?" Charlene questioned curiously.

"We just talked…talked…and talked all night. It was awesome!" Charlene could practically see her grinning widely over the phone.

The blonde couldn't help but laugh. "Good! I'm happy for you."

"Aw thanks, Char."

"Of course, what are best friends for?"

"Hell if I know." Megan teased.

Charlene rolled her eyes with a smile. "Hey, be nice."

"What? I'm always nice."

"Sure. Whatever you say, Megan."

Megan huffed over the phone. "Annoying." She mumbled. "I'll tell you more later. I'll see you at school."

"Okay. Bye."

"Love you!" Megan said before they finished the call. Charlene smiled as she got up out of bed to get dressed. After she got dressed, she stepped out of her room, meeting Elena and Aunt Jenna out in the hallway.

"Morning!" Charlene greeted the two woman in her life with a smile. She glanced over at Jenna and looked her up and down. "Don't you look professional?"

Jenna laughed. "Thank you!"

"Where are you going?"

"Jeremy's parent-teacher conference." Her aunt explained. "Now to complete this whole professional look I have going…up or down?" She gathered her hair up in a bun.

"Sexy stewardess." Elena commented as Jenna let it down and Charlene stifled a laugh but she smiled too, happy to see her sister in a good mood. "Boozy housewife."

"Up it is." Jenna laughed, her eyes warm. "You're feisty today."

"I feel good." Elena said with a smile. "Which is rare. So I've decided to go with it. Fly free, walk on the sunshine, and all that stuff."

Charlene nudged her in the side, causing her sister to look over at her. "You're sounding a bit like Megan." She teased and Elena giggled.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Everyone deserves to be a little more like Megan Bennett."

"Very true." Charlene agreed with a laugh, wrapping her arm around Elena as she glanced at Jenna. "Where's Jeremy anyway? Usually he's down getting his coffee."

"He left early." Jenna turned towards the mirror nearby to check her hair. "Something about getting to wood shop early to finish a birdhouse." Charlene and Elena shared a look. Jenna noticed, a frown appearing. "There's no wood shop, is there?"

Charlene sighed as Elena shook her head.

"No."

Jenna let out her own sigh. "Yeah."

Charlene knew exactly where Jeremy was. "Um, I'm gonna go ahead and head to school. I'll see you there, Lena." She kissed her sister's cheek before heading out the door.

She went to the hospital and sure enough, there was Jer, standing in front of Vicki Donavan's room. Charlene went up behind and tapped his shoulder. He jumped and whirled around, but he relaxed when he saw it was her.

"Char, what are you doing here?"

Charlene crossed her arms. "The better question is why you're here, you need to be in school."

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Save the lecture, I get enough of it from Elena."

"I'm not trying to lecture you. I haven't been doing that and you know that." He didn't say anything and Charlene sighed. "I'm just saying that there's nothing you can do about Vicki. She's going to be okay."

"How do you know that?" Jeremy snapped.

"I don't, but it's better than thinking the worse." He said nothing, not that he had time to because a nurse appeared behind them.

"You can't be here, you two." The nurse informed. "Visiting hours don't start till 9 o'clock."

"We were about to leave." Charlene said, grabbing Jeremy's arm but he pulled it roughly away. She gave a sigh.

"Is she okay?" Jeremy asked.

The nurse fixed Vicki's sheets. "She's lost a lot blood."

"Yeah, but she's gonna be okay, right?"

"She needs her rest. So you come back later."

Jeremy looked like he was about to protest, but Charlene stopped him by grabbing his arm again.

"Okay, thank you." Charlene told the nurse. "Come on, Jer." They both took one more look at Vicki before they took off. As they walked the halls, she said, "And next time, come up with a better lie than going to wood shop. Lame." Though he tried not to, Charlene noticed the slight smile and she grinned.

* * *

Megan waited by Charlene's locker, waiting for her best friend to show. She didn't spot the blonde this morning and she was a little worried. Megan smiled in relief when she spotted Charlene heading her way.

"There you are!" she said as her friend stopped at her locker and she moved out of the way so Charlene could get into it. "Where were you this morning? I was worried."

"Dealing with Jeremy." Charlene explained. "He went to go see Vicki at the hospital this morning. Lied to Jenna, saying he had to go to wood shop."

"Really? Usually Jer's a little more colorful than that with his lies."

Charlene nodded. "Yeah, tell me about it."

There was silence for a moment. "Well, how is she?" Megan asked.

Charlene shrugged. "I don't know. All I know is that she lost a lot of blood, and needs rest." She got her books and closed her locker. "It's crazy though, that this happened to Vicki. I know we've been hearing all about these animals attack, but this…it's Matt's sister."

Megan nodded sadly. "I know…it's sad." They began walking the halls, heading to History class. It was a quiet walk until Charlene broke the silence.

"About what you said last night…about this not being the end, what did you mean?"

"I don't know, to be honest." Megan mumbled. "It's just this feeling I have."

"Well, maybe you're wrong." Charlene walked ahead of her as Megan stopped, staring into space.

"Maybe." She mumbled again before picking up the pace to catch up with her best friend.

They made it to History class on time. Stefan was already there and Megan smiled at him, giving him a small wave before sliding in the seat next to him as Charlene sat behind her.

"Morning." Megan greeted with a soft smile.

Stefan smiled back. "Morning."

Megan wanted to continue the conversation, but Tanner came into the room and started his lecture. She wasn't really paying attention to it and neither was Stefan. Too busy staring at each other. Suddenly, her mobile buzzed in her lap and she looked down at it. It was a text from Charlene.

 _'Better stop staring before Tanner catches you.'_

Megan responded back, hiding a grin. ' _Better stop texting before Tanner catches you.'_ After she pressed send, she looked back at Charlene and her best friend glanced up at her, sticking her tongue out.

And this was what Tanner noticed.

"Am I interrupting the chit chat?"

Megan turned back around, flashing him her award winning smile. "Of course not, Mr. Tanner. We were just discussing how interesting this lecture is."

"Uh-uh." M. Tanner crossed his arms. "What was I talking about?"

"Uh…" Megan glanced around and spotted Bonnie mouthing to her, 'comet.' Then she glanced back at Tanner. "Er, about the comet."

Tanner narrowed his eyes but he returned to the lecture. Megan let out a sigh of relief, flashing her sister a grateful smile. Her eyes glanced to Stefan next, who was stifling a laugh.

"Shut up." Megan mouthed.

Just then, the bell rang and everyone quickly got up. After telling Charlene she'd catch up with her later, Megan hurried to catch up with Stefan. She hopped up next to him.

"Did you get it?" Megan asked excitedly.

Stefan just smiled as he searched through his bag and handed her the book. Megan took it, glancing at the title. Withering Heights by Ellis Bell. First edition. She grinned widely as she flipped through the pages.

"Told you."

"This is amazing, Stefan." Megan said, grinning up at him. "I can't believe you have this. Where'd you even get it?"

"Uh, it was passed down. Through the family."

"Huh, I guess it does pay to have ancestors." Megan smiled.

Stefan smiled back. "I have a lot of books. Go ahead. Keep it."

"Thank you, but I can't. But." Megan paused for a moment. "I would love to read it again. So, I'll give it back."

Stefan nodded with a smile. "Okay…"

She smiled back, biting her bottom lip. Megan wanted to kiss him in this moment, but thought it would be too fast. She did just meet him after all.

* * *

Since Mega was busy with Stefan, Charlene went to find Elena and found her walking with Matt. She was surprised to see them together, but she was glad to see them talking to each other, instead of just them ignoring each other. They were best friends before they started dating.

So, it looked like things were getting back to normal.

"Char."

At the sound of the familiar voice, Charlene froze, then she sighed as she slowly turned around. "Tyler."

Tyler freaking Lockwood was right behind her, and she wanted to smack the smug look on his face.

"What do you want?" Charlene asked harshly.

"Whoa, what's with the attitude? I just wanted to talk, Char. That's all."

She crossed her arms. "Come on, Ty." She said. "Do you really expect me to believe that? I've known you for most of my life, I know how your mind works. You never just want to talk."

"It's true." Tyler assured. "How are you doing?"

Charlene snorted. "Now you care." She tried to walk by him but Tyler grabbed her arm.

"Char, I've always cared." Tyler told her, his eyes meeting hers.

She roughly pulled her arm away. "You just cared about getting into my pants. So, just leave me alone." Again, she tried to move but he just wouldn't let her go.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened with Vicki. It just happened."

Charlene flinched at the mention of it. "Yeah, it just happened. Over and over again." She sneered. "I'm done with your excuses. Nothing's going to change the fact that you slept with Vicki Donavan." She pulled her arm away again and shoved past him. This time, he didn't stop her.

She hurried off and she wasn't paying attention to where she was going, so she ended up bumping into Stefan. He grabbed her shoulders to steady her. Charlene looked up at him to see him staring down at her with concern in his green eyes.

"Are you alright?"

Charlene smiled weakly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just boy drama."

"Oh…"

She brushed her hair out of her face. "Yeah…it's nothing important." She smiled softly. "Um, I'll see you around, Stefan." Before she could walk away, Stefan's voice stopped.

"Charlene."

The blonde turned around to face him. "Yeah?"

"Um, I know that we don't know each other that well…but if you, uh, ever need to talk, I'm here."

Charlene looked surprised to hear that, but she thought it was sweet. She smiled and nodded as she turned back around to go back inside the school.

* * *

After all their classes at school, they all headed to the Grill, like they normally did after school. They meaning: Elena, Caroline, Bonnie, Charlene, and Megan.

"Well, I was talking to Grams, and she said the comet is a sign of impending doom." Bonnie said as Megan sipped her drink, keeping her mouth shut. She knew her sister thought that Grams was crazy and Megan didn't, so she couldn't voice what she really thought. "The last time it passed over Mystic Falls, there was lots of death. Blood and carnage, it created a bed of paranormal activity."

"Yeah, and then you poured Grams another shot and she told you about the aliens." Caroline teased, rolling her eyes before she turned to look at Megan. "So, then what?"

Megan shrugged. "Nothing else happened, that's it."

"Do you believe that?" Caroline glanced over at Charlene. Of course, as the best friend, she should know.

"That's all she told me."

"And that's really it. We just talked. You can have fun with a guy without sex, Caroline." Megan said.

"I know, but seriously! Come on, there has to be more. I mean, Meg, we're your friends! Okay? You are supposed to share the smut."

Megan smirked. "If there was any smut to tell, I would, trust me. But we didn't go there. We just met…I like to know a person before I let it go that far."

Caroline pouted. "Still, just jump his bones already! Okay, it's easy. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, sex!"

"Profound." Elena said with a grin as Charlene laughed into her drink.

"Besides, the better question is what's up with you and Matt?" Charlene asked Elena.

Charlene's sister shrugged. "I don't know…it's strange. First, he's ignoring me and now we're…talking."

"Great, more talking." Caroline mumbled, disappointed.

Megan didn't say anything, thinking about what Caroline said. Maybe she was right, maybe it was that easy. She was probably just thinking too much about it. She liked Stefan and if she didn't do anything, someone would take him away from her. That was something she didn't want to happen.

She stood up abruptly.

"Where are you going?" Charlene asked, seeing her friend stand up.

"I'm going to see Stefan. Caroline's right, it is easy, and I'm going to go before I change my mind." Megan explained confidently.

Charlene stood up too. "I'm going with you."

And Megan wasn't going to change her mind. Besides that, Charlene wanted to see what the inside of the boarding house looked like.

Megan nodded. "Okay…" She grabbed her best friend's hand. "Let's go."

"Tell Jenna, I'll be late for dinner." Charlene told Elena before she was dragged away to Megan's car.

* * *

They pulled up to the boarding house driveway and Megan stopped the car. Charlene was the first to get out, looking up in amazement. The house was huge and she couldn't help but wonder how many rooms were even in here. Still staring, Charlene felt like she had been here before, but she had no idea how that could be. It was strange. Slowly, Charlene made her way up to the front of the house, leaving Megan as her friend cursed, trying to find her phone.

She went inside without even bothering to knock. Charlene left the door open so Megan could come inside. She slowly looked around the foyer as there was so much to look at. Suddenly, she heard a noise causing her to whirl around to find no one there.

"Megan?" Charlene called out.

"I'm coming! Can't find my damn phone!"

Charlene shook her head, chuckling. She turned back around and jumped, a gasp escaping at the sight of a man with piecing blue eyes and black hair. Her breath caught her eyes as his blue eyes caught hers. Whoa.

The man smirked, tilting her head to the side.

Charlene placed her hand on her beating heart. "You…you scared me."

His smirk seemed to widen. "Sorry, didn't mean to."

She said nothing for a moment as she crossed her arms, looking at him amused. "Why do I get the feeling that you did?"

The man shrugged. "Guess I have one those faces." He smirked again. "You must be Charlene…and you must be Megan…"

At this, Charlene glanced back at found her best friend standing there.

Megan looked confused as she went to stand next Charlene. "Um yeah…who are you?"

"I'm Damon, Stefan's brother." The man, or now called Damon, smirked.

"Brother?" Megan and Charlene repeated.

"Guess he never mentioned me?"

Megan shook her head. "No…it…it uh never came up."

"Well, Stefan's not one to brag. Please, come." Damon gestured towards the living room area. "I'm sure Stefan will be along any second." He started walking towards the living room.

Charlene couldn't help but look him up and down. Damn, he was hot. Even hotter than Stefan.

"Like what you see?" Megan teased, nudging Charlene in the side. She flushed a bright red.

"No." Charlene whispered harshly as they followed Damon into the living room and was amazed by the sheer mass of it.

"Wow, this is your living room?" Megan breathed. "Looks more like a bedroom to me."

Damon chuckled. "Or parlor, Sotheby's auction." Charlene stifled a laugh and he glanced at her, smirking. "It's a little kitschy for my taste." He looked away from Charlene to look at Megan. "I can see why my brother's so smitten. It's about time. For a while there, I never thought he'd get over the last one. Nearly destroyed him."

"Last one? What do you mean?" Megan questioned, confused as she stared up at him.

"Demetria, his girlfriend?" Damon frowned at her, then realized, "Oh, you two haven't had the awkward exes' conversation."

Megan's lips pursed. "Nope, not yet."

"Oops." Charlene narrowed her eyes. Why did she get the feeling Damon did that on purpose? "Well, I'm sure it'll come up now. Or maybe he didn't tell you because he didn't want you to think he was on the rebound. We all know how all those relationships end."

Megan said nothing.

"Not all relationships are bound to fail." Charlene commented, taking a hold of Megan's hand as a glare appeared. "Like you're making it sound like."

Damon shrugged, not fazed by Charlene's glare. "I'm a fatalist." He didn't turn around as Stefan came up behind him. "Hello Stefan."

"Megan, Charlene." Stefan said stiffly. "I didn't know you guys were coming over."

Charlene opened her mouth but Megan spoke first.

"Erm, sorry, Stefan." She said. "Should have let you know I was coming, but it was a last minute decision. I just…"

"Oh, don't be silly. You're welcome any time, and so is Charlene over here." Damon smiled charmingly at the blonde, but Charlene didn't smile back, a little pissed at him for upsetting Megan. "Aren't they, Stefan? You know, I should break out the family photo albums or movies. But…I have to warn you. He wasn't always such a looker."

"Yeah, I'm sure you weren't any better." Charlene sassed and Damon smirked lightly, but didn't comment.

"Thank you for stopping by, Megan and Charlene." Stefan said, staring hard at Damon. "See you at school."

Megan bit her bottom lip. "Yeah…see you there." Without even bothering to tell Damon it was nice to meet you, she hurried out of there.

Charlene sighed internally before she shook her head, looking at Damon. "It was nice meeting you, Damon." She said, not sure if she fully meant it or not.

"Great meeting you, too, Charlene." Damon grasped her hand and kissed the back of it, his eyes meeting hers. Her heart couldn't help but skip a beat. After he pulled away, she slipped her hand out his grip.

She let their eyes stay connected for a moment longer before tugging her gaze away to look at Stefan. "Bye Stefan." With that, she turned to run after Megan, leaving to the two brothers alone.

Charlene finally joined Megan in the car and found her staring into space. "Megan?" she said her name softly, but it still made her jump a little. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." Megan met her best friend's eyes. "But this is why, I don't want to rush things with Stefan. I don't know him. That's what I did with Josh, and I don't want to make that mistake again. And clearly, Stefan has unresolved issues with this Demetria girl…"

"Megan…Stefan's not Josh." Charlene said softly.

"I know that…but…"

"And what Damon said, well we just met that guy, and clearly, he has issues with Stefan." Charlene brushed Megan's hair out of her face. "So, don't just give up on Stefan, just yet. I would see where it goes before you throw it away."

Megan slowly smiled. "Okay…thanks Charlene."

Charlene smiled back. "No problem, what are best friends for?" she teased, just like Megan did this morning.

"Hell if I know." Megan retorted with a laugh. There was a pause. "Do you think Jenna would care if I had dinner with you guys?"

"Of course not, I think we're having tacos." Charlene answered.

"Ooh, yay! Let's go!" Megan exclaimed happily, forgetting about Stefan as she started the car and left the boarding house to go to the Gilbert household.

-0-

After dinner, Megan helped Jenna clean up along with Charlene and Elena. "Thank you for having me for dinner, Jenna." She told her with a smile.

"Of course, you're welcome here anytime, you and Bonnie, you know that." Jenna patted her on the shoulder. "So, Elena tells me, you have a new boyfriend."

Megan glanced at Elena and she smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry." Elena apologized. "Jenna asked what was new with you."

Megan stared at her for a moment before she laughed. "It's okay, Lena. Not like it's a secret or anything." She turned towards Jenna. "But he's not my boyfriend, he's just a guy I'm interested in." She sighed. "I'm not even sure if its going anywhere though. He's on the rebound and has raging family issues."

In response, Jenna chuckled as she sipped her wine. "Well, at least it's an ex-girlfriend. Wait till you date a guy with mommy issues or cheating issues. Or amphetamine issues."

"So, I guess what your saying is, it could be worse?" Megan said, making it sound like a question.

"Exactly."

"She's right." Charlene agreed. "And I'm not just saying that because Jenna's always right."

Jenna grinned. "And don't forget it." She winked and the girls giggled. Just then, Jeremy came stumbling through the front door, causing Jenna to turn and look.

"Jeremy?" Jenna called out, but he completely ignored her, or he was too high to even hear her, as he headed up the stairs. She didn't let him get far. "Jeremy, where were you?"

Jeremy stopped halfway up the stairs and stared down at her amused. "More stoner stories? Look, Jenna, I get it, you were cool. And so, that's…that's cool." He smirked lazily.

"Oh, no, no, no!" Jenna threw an apple at Jeremy and it hit him straight on the back.

"Ow! Why? Why…why did you do that?"

"Listen up!" Jenna growled. "Quit ditching class, or you're grounded. No discussion."

Jeremy smirked again. "Parental authority, I like it." He waggled his fingers at her. "Sleep tight." He disappeared up the stairs.

Charlene stared where he once was and sighed. And here she thought he was doing better…

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Night of the Comet, Part 2...**

 **And there's another chapter! I really am liking this story a whole lot more than the first one! Don't know what it is, but I like it.**

 **I would like more reviews so if you wouldn't leaving some that would be amazing because I really want to know what you guys think of the new version of Surviving in the World of Vampires. :) Anyway, until next time!**


	5. Night of the Comet, Part 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the last part of Night of the Comet! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires. Please leave reviews!

* * *

The next day, after school let out for the day, Megan went with her sister to help pass out the night of the comet pamphlets. She handed them out, but she was somewhat distracted, thinking about Stefan and about what she learned from Damon. Though Charlene said not to worry about it, Megan couldn't help but worry. If he really wasn't over that Demetria chick, should she even start something with Stefan? She didn't want to get in the middle of anything.

However, Charlene was right about one thing. The information she was getting was from someone she didn't know, so she couldn't just listen to him. She needed to hear it from Stefan, which meant she had to talk to him about it. Something she would do whenever she saw him again. Megan sighed to herself as she forced a smile, handing out the next pamphlet to next person that passed. Bonnie speaking up broke her out of her thoughts.

"Are you okay, Meg?"

Megan tried to make her smile a lot more natural as she responded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just…tired." It wasn't that much of a lie. She didn't get enough sleep last night, thinking about what Damon had said. The look on Bonnie's face showed her sister didn't believe her. Megan sighed. "Okay fine…I'm not okay."

"Is it about Stefan? Did he not call?"

"Or texted." Megan added with a sigh, handing out the next pamphlet. "Then again, we never even exchanged phone numbers, so we couldn't text each other even if he wanted to."

"That's an important milestone in any relationship."

"Technically, we're not even in one." Megan reminded her sister. "I'm into him and I thought he was interested in me…but now I'm kind of rethinking it. Especially since apparently he has issues with a previous relationship. I'm not interested in being the rebound."

Bonnie slowly nodded. "I understand that…but what if your wrong and you're not a rebound? Then, you'll be giving up on a chance with a great guy."

"Yeah…but if I'm having these doubts…maybe I'm not ready to be in another relationship."

Her sister said nothing as she gave out another pamphlet. After a few minutes of silence, Bonnie spoke again.

"All I'm hearing is reasons why you can't." She said, and that was all she said about it.

Megan said nothing either, knowing her sister was right. She was doing exactly that. It made her realize even more that she needed to talk to Stefan about this. To know where he truly was.

* * *

While everyone else was at the night of the comet party, Charlene was working. She recently got a job at the Mystic Grill. It was her first day actually.

Charlene thought it would be a good idea to get a job, just for something to do and to make some cash. It was also a good way to be sociable, which she had to rework on. Before her parents died, Charlene involved in a lot more things and active, so she wanted to get back to normal and getting a job was a good start to get back into that.

Unfortunately, the person was supposed to be training her was Vicki Donavan. Charlene dreaded it, considering Vicki had been the one Tyler had cheated on her with. Anyone else would feel the exact same way she was feeling right now.

Vicki showed up and the brunette looked pissed. At what? Charlene had no idea. Anything pissed off the youngest Donavan nowadays.

Taking a deep breath, Charlene went up to her. "Hey Vicki."

"What?" she sneered, looking over at her.

Charlene flinched but she brushed it off to speak again. "Um you're supposed to be training me, I got a job here."

A look of disbelief crossed Vicki's face. "Seriously?"

The blonde figured it was because of the fact she got a job here. "Yeah."

Vicki groaned. "Great! Not only to I not get another day off, but now I'm stuck, having to train Elena Gilbert's sister." She made it sound like an insult.

Charlene crossed her arms, offended. "Hey, I'm not happy about this either, but there's nothing we can do about it." She said bluntly.

"Of course there is, I can choose not to do and let you flat on your face." Vicki smirked and turned around, heading over to the bar.

Charlene sighed heavily. Well, that turned out a lot better than she thought it would. She was about to leave to go and tell Mr. Robert she didn't want to be trained by Vicki but she spotted Vicki and Jeremy talking to each other. They exchanged words with each other, sharing a laugh.

Charlene watched as Jeremy handed Vicki some pills. Watching it made her feel a little sick. Though she never said anything on the subject, she hated seeing her little brother like this. It wasn't the little Jeremy she knew. Gone was the happy boy, she knew, being replaced by someone she didn't recognize anymore. She hated to think about what her parents were thinking as they watched Jeremy turn into this person they knew he wasn't.

After Vicki took the pills, Charlene decided to go back up to them. "Jer, what are you doing here?"

"Is there a reason why I shouldn't be?" Jeremy countered.

"No…I was just wondering…"

He scoffed. "Right." Before she could say anything else, he turned back to Vicki. "So, you gonna, uh, watch the comet later?"

"I hadn't really thought about it." Vicki said, then she smirked, leaning forward a bit. "But I could be talked into it."

Charlene wanted to make a face, but she forced herself not to. Seriously though, did Vicki really forget she was standing there?

"I'll meet you out there in a few." Vicki went to leave and Charlene shook her head as she looked at her little brother.

"I really don't see what you see in her." Charlene said quietly, so Vicki wouldn't hear.

Jeremy made no comment just as Tyler came up to them, stopping in front of Vicki before she could make another move to leave.

"I don't see what you saw in him." Jeremy finally responded to what she said as Charlene glanced away.

"I don't see what you saw in him." Jeremy finally responded to what she said as Charlene glanced away.

"Touché." She muttered as she left to go and talk to Mr. Robert about getting someone else to train her.

Outside at the comet party, Caroline handed out candles. "Hey, I got some candles." She said brightly.

Megan took hers. "Thanks Care."

Her blonde friend smiled brightly in response before going off to hand out other candles. Megan shook her head with a smile as Matt lit up her candle before Matt went over to Elena to light hers. She watched as Elena thanked him with a soft smile, brushing her hair out of her face. Megan smiled at the sight, happy to see Matt and Elena talking again. She turned to light someone else's candle. This someone cleared their throat and Megan found herself staring into Stefan's green eyes. She was awe struck again and couldn't find the words she wanted to say to him. Luckily, Stefan spoke first.

"Hi, thank you." He told her softly.

"Yeah, you're welcome." Megan forced a smile before she turned her head away as she looked up at the comet. She wanted to ignore him, but it was hard to do with him standing next to her. _So close_. She could smell his aftershave.

"You know, that comet…" Stefan started after a moment of silence. "It's been traveling across space for thousands of years. All alone."

Megan nodded, still not looking at him. "Yeah…well my Grams says it's a harbinger of evil."

"I think it's just a ball of…snow and ice, trapped on a path it can't escape. And once every 145 years, it gets to come home."

"Well, that sounds nicer than what my grams thinks." Megan chuckled, trying to joke.

It made Stefan smile slightly, but it fell after a moment. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I wasn't myself."

Megan said nothing for a moment. "It's okay." She tried to shrug it off. "I've already forgot about yesterday anyway." Even as she said those words, she didn't believe them herself.

"Still, that wasn't about you, okay?"

Deciding to stop pretending she was fine, Megan decided to speak her mind. "Is there a reason why you didn't tell me you had a brother?"

"We're not close." Stefan vaguely explained, his eyes shifting away. "It's, uh, complicated."

Megan let out a sigh. "It's always complicated, Stefan. I mean, I know we're not in relationship and you don't have to tell me everything but having a sibling is something someone should know…" Before he could say anything, she went on. "He told me about your ex…Demetria…"

Stefan looked as if he didn't expect her to ask this. "What did he say?"

"Nothing much….just that she broke your heart." Megan said softly.

He shook his head. "That was a long time ago…"

"I might not understand what it's like to lose someone, but I do know what it's like to have your heart broken. It's not fun…it stays with you forever."

"Megan…"

She smiled sadly as she looked up at him. "It's okay, Stefan. I get it." She told him softly. "I really do…and I like you. A lot. But I'm not going to be a rebound…I think better of myself than to let me be that girl." She smiled at him sadly again before she left him standing there, staring after her.

* * *

Back inside the Grill, Charlene was being trained by another waitress. Her name was Maddie and she went to Mystic Falls too. She was in Jeremy's grade. Charlene thought she was nice and seemed to know what she was doing, which was good because Charlene definitely didn't want to be taught by someone who didn't know what they were doing.

"So!" Maddie said cheerfully. "I think you're ready for your first customer."

Charlene was ecstatic to hear that since for the first couple hours of working was spent just learning the ropes and following Maddie everywhere. However, the excitement didn't last that long when the red head pointed out her customer

Damon Salvatore, who was smirking at her.

"Maddie, can't you take this one?" Charlene tried pleading

"You have nothing to worry about, Char!" Maddie reassured her. "You're going to do great!" She turned the blonde around and shoved her in Damon's direction.

Charlene groaned to herself and went over to his table grudgingly. She stood there and he smirked up at her.

"Nice to see you again, Charlene." Damon said, trying to flirt as he did this thing with his eyes. If he had done it before he upset her best friend, she would have been a swooning mess, but she wasn't as she glared at him instead.

"Wish I could say the same." Charlene retorted.

He pouted. "Aw, don't be like that."

Charlene ignored him, rolling her eyes as she changed the subject. "What can I get for you?"

Damon eyed her and she almost flushed at his stare. He seemed to know it too if the smug little smirk on his face was any hint.

"Are you on the menu?" he asked, licking his lips as he stared into her eyes. Something she watched, her eyes gazing over a bit, but she snapped out of it and she scoffed a little bit.

"You wish." This just made him smirk a little. She ignored it as she asked the question again, "What can I get for you?"

Damon hummed in response before he answered. "A bourbon would be great."

Charlene wrote it down and forced a smile. "Okay, well, I'll be right back with your drink." She went to leave, then she felt a hand grasp hers, sliding his fingers through her hair. She glanced back at him surprised. He didn't keep a hold of her hand for long, but it was long enough for her to wonder what it was all about.

He finally let go and Charlene hurried away to get his drink. But when she returned, Damon was nowhere in sight.

Charlene frowned. As Maddie passed her, she grabbed her arm and the redhead looked over at her.

"Hey, do you know where that man went?"

"The hot one?" When she nodded, Maddie shrugged. "I don't know…maybe the restroom. I'd just leave the drink there and his receipt." With that, the redhead went away.

Charlene did as Maddie said, but still she wondered where Damon could have gone. She forgot all about it after her shift was over and she was able to join her friends.

"Char!" Megan hugged her as she joined her best friend, Elena, Bonnie, Caroline, Matt, and Tyler (who Charlene completely ignored) at their table. "You're off, finally! How did it go?"

"As good as a first day can go." Charlene said with a shrug. "But I think I'm going to like it okay."

Elena smiled at this. "Good, I'm happy for you." Then she went to chat with Bonnie and Caroline as Charlene turned to Megan.

"Did you talk to Stefan yet?"

Megan's good mood faded away a bit. "Yeah, a little…I think I'm just going to leave it alone…just for now."

Charlene hated to hear that, but she wasn't going to try and convince her not to do that. "Okay, if that's what you want." She said.

"It is." Megan's eyes said otherwise.

Just then, Jeremy showed up and he looked worried. "Hey, has anyone seen Vicki?"

Tyler was the first one to respond. "You're her stalker." He snapped bluntly. "You tell us."

"I can't find her."

"She probably found someone else to party with. Sorry, pill pusher, I guess you've been replaced."

"Tyler." Charlene hissed.

"What? Charlene, you saw him."

Charlene felt Elena's hard gaze on her and winced.

"What is he talking about?" her sister asked.

Tyler nodded towards Jeremy. "Ask him."

Jeremy glared at him. "You wanna do this right now?"

"Are you dealing?" Elena demanded but she was just ignored.

"She's never going to go for you."

"She already did." Jeremy said snidely. "Over and over again."

This was a shock to everyone. Tyler just scoffed.

"Yeah, right."

Megan gaped at him in disbelief. "Wait, what? You slept with Vicki Donavan?"

"Vicki Donavan slept with _you_?" Caroline couldn't believe it either.

Tyler shook his head, not believing him at all. "There's no way."

"And I didn't even have to force her into it."

Matt stared at him as Tyler didn't say anything. "What the hell is he talking about?"

"Nothing, man, just ignore him, he's a punk."

Matt decided to just leave it alone…for now. "You know what, how about all of you just shut up and help me find my sister?"

"We'll check the back." Bonnie said, grabbing Megan and Caroline's arms.

"I'll check the square."

"I'll come with you." Jeremy went to leave with Matt, but Elena grabbed his arm, tugging him back roughly.

"Oh, no, no, no. You are coming with me and Charlene. So, that's your game now, dealing?"

"Elena…" Charlene started to say, but her sister cut her off.

"I'll talk to you later." She snapped, sounding just like their mother. It was scary. Charlene didn't appreciate her tone but she kept silent as Elena turned back to Jeremy. "Are you dealing?"

"I'm not dealing."

Elena sighed, frustrated. "Look, I'm sick of the tough love speeches, Jer." she informed. "It's clearly having no impact."

"You and Jenna, between the two of you, enough already! At least Charlene, doesn't say anything and just leaves me alone about it!"

"Because she doesn't want to say anything to set you off!"

"Hey!" Charlene raised her voice, surprising the other two Gilberts. She never raised her voice. "I'm right here! Both of you need to just shut up!" She turned to Jeremy. "Elena and Jenna only gives you these speeches because they care about you! And I might not give you these speeches, but I'm done, so I'm going to give you one! The only reason why I've never done one before but it's only because I know it's not going to do a god damn thing. It doesn't mean that I don't think what your doing is wrong because it is! This isn't you, Jer. I love you, but if things don't change, we're going to send you a therapist where you're forced to deal with what's going on or to rehab where you'll sit in a group and tell some stranger how you let your life fell apart. Or you could talk to us…your sisters, the two people who understand where you're going through. You're not the only who lost their parents. We lost them too." Her voice cracked a bit, her eyes welling with tears but she quickly wiped her eyes before her siblings could notice. She had to be the strong one in this. "So, it's up to you, what's it going to be?"

"I vote for none of the above." Jeremy said stiffly before he stormed off.

Charlene sighed. She hated to raise her voice.

"Thank you for doing that." Elena said, making Charlene turn her.

"I didn't do it for you, Elena." She told her sister. "I did it because I'm tired too…tired of being in the middle of you and Jeremy. I know that I supposed to be…because I'm your sister and I love you guys more than I love myself…I'd jump in front of a bus for you and Jer…but I don't think either of you have realized that I'm still dealing with our parent's death too." Before Elena could say anything, she changed the subject quickly. "I'm going to help look for Vicki." With that, she left Elena standing there alone.

* * *

Thankfully, Vicki was found safely. Stefan had found her. Despite what she had said earlier, Megan realized she didn't want to give up on Stefan. Not yet. So, she found herself ringing the doorbell at the boarding house. It didn't take too long for Stefan to answer the door.

"Hey." Megan breathed. She didn't let him say anything as she went on. "I'm sorry for coming so late, especially after earlier."

"It's okay, I'm glad you came." Stefan reassured her softly. "I didn't like how we left things." Megan was glad he felt the same way. "Would you like to come inside?"

"Actually, let's talk outside." Megan said. It was too nice outside to talk inside and they could gaze at the comet, which was still high up in the sky.

"Okay." Stefan followed her outside, closing the door behind him. It was quiet between them. Megan enjoyed the silence. Though she usually felt the need to feel the air with conversation with Stefan…she didn't feel the need to.

Megan finally broke the silence. "I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions about being a rebound…"

"It's okay…I'd be worried about the same thing…but you're not a rebound." Stefan told her. "Trust me, I'm over her."

She said nothing for a moment. "I do…which is strange because we just met, but I trust you. I just don't want to get hurt, Stefan…and I realize that's what I'm really worried about…not about being a rebound…but about being hurt…but I have to realize that you're not my ex-boyfriend. You're different…and I've decided to give you a chance. If you hurt me..."

Stefan cut her off and surprised her by grabbing a hold of her hands. Her heart skipped a beat as she met his gaze.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Megan."

His touch sent sparks through and she could feel his emotions. Something that went along with her witch powers. Stefan was telling the truth.

"Okay…" Megan breathed. Nothing else was said and he leaned in, kissing her.

Her eyes closed. The kiss was everything and more.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Fright Night Bites, Part 1...**


	6. Friday Night Bites, Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the first part of Friday Night Bites! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires. Please leave reviews!

* * *

Megan was over the moon the next morning. She finally kissed Stefan. All the worries she had disappeared after the kiss. Even if she was still worried, she wasn't going to. She was going to enjoy the first good relationship she had in a long time. Too bad she didn't have that much time to enjoy it when Bonnie came up to her and tried to convince her she made a bad choice.

"I'm not saying don't date the guy." Her sister tried to recount her statement.

Megan crossed her arms. "Then what are you saying?"

Bonnie sighed, not wanting to make her sister mad. "I'm just saying take it slow, that's all."

"Weren't you the one that told me to go for it?" Megan reminded her. "You even gave Stefan my phone number?"

"I changed my mind…besides, you're single for the first time in your entire high school career. It's the perfect time to play the field."

Megan couldn't help but laugh at that. "Right, and that's exactly what I'm like." She looked at her, concerned. "Come on Bon, I'm your sister. You can tell me anything. Now, what's the _real_ reason?"

Bonnie said nothing for a moment, then sighed. "It's stupid…" she mumbled.

In response, Megan stopped and grabbed her sister's hands. "Bonnie, tell me." She said softly.

Her sister sighed again as she squeezed her hands before letting go. "I accidently touched Stefan and I got a really bad feeling."

Megan said nothing for a moment. "Oh…" She knew never to doubt the feelings you get, especially for a Bennett witch, and this was coming from someone who didn't believe in that stuff. But she really liked Stefan and didn't get a bad feeling from him herself, so maybe Bonnie was wrong. "Okay." She spoke again. "Thank you for telling me…but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, Bonnie."

"Megan, it was bad, bad!" Bonnie exclaimed, startling her. She took a deep breath and let it out. "Aren't you the one that that told me to listen to the feelings I get?"

She did say that. "Yeah, but maybe your feeling is wrong." Megan said. "That does happen, you know?"

Bonnie stared at her sister with frustration. It didn't last long until she sighed again.

"I'm just concerned." Bonnie said gently. "This is me expressing concern about my sister's new boyfriend."

"And I appreciate it Bonnie, I do." Megan told her. "But really, there's nothing to worry about. If I knew Stefan was dangerous, I wouldn't be involved with him."

Bonnie wanted to say something more, but was cut off by Charlene and Elena showing up.

"Morning." Charlene greeted the two Bennett sisters brightly.

"Morning!" Elena said as well, looking happy for the first time in a while.

Despite the tense conversation between her sister and her, Megan couldn't help but smile. "Aren't you happy today?"

"Yeah, I am happy." Elena smiled back. "Decided to take a piece out of the Megan handbook and be happy for a change."

"Yay!" Megan cheered brightly, giving her other favorite Gilbert girl a big hug.

Elena laughed and hugged her back. Charlene watched on with a smile before it turned into a pout as Megan looked over at her.

"Do I not get a famous Megan hug?" she asked, fake sadness in her tone.

Megan rolled her eyes but she giggled. "Of course!" She broke the hug with Elena and hugged her best friend. "Happy?"

"Very." Charlene broke the hug as she smiled. "So, what were you guys talking about?"

Before Megan or Bonnie could answer, Stefan showed up, fixing his bag over his shoulder. "Good morning, Elena, Charlene. Good morning, Megan."

"Morning Stef!" Megan said, smiling brightly at him as she went over to him to give him a one armed hug. He smiled down at her, hugging her back and kissing the side of her head.

Stefan looked over at Bonnie, giving her a smile. "Good morning, Bonnie."

She ignored his greeting and turned Elena, Charlene, and Megan. "Hey, um, I gotta find Caroline." She said quickly. "She's not answering her phone. So, I'll see you guys later." Bonnie hurried off and Megan sighed.

"She doesn't like me very much…" Stefan said.

"It's not that, Stefan." Megan tried to reassure him. "She's just worried about me, that's all. She was there through the whole Josh thing and she just doesn't me to get hurt. Not only that, she doesn't know you. Once she doesn't, she'll love you. You'll see."

Her reassurance worked, at least that's what it looked like to Megan.

"Yeah." Charlene nodded in agreement, patting Stefan's shoulder. "Elena would act the same way if I dated someone new." She looked over at her sister and the brunette nodded.

"Of course. I mean, you saw what I was like when you started dating Tyler Lockwood."

"Yep. You were a bitch." Charlene said with a straight face and Elena's mouth dropped slightly. The blonde smirked slightly and Elena pouted, shoving her shoulder playfully.

"I was not a bitch." Charlene gave her a look causing the brunette to sigh and roll her eyes. "Fine, I was a little bitchy." Elena laughed and soon, the rest joined in.

Once the laughter stopped, Charlene spoke up. "Hey, I have an idea. Stefan, are you free tonight?"

"Yes."

Charlene smiled. "Great."

"Where are you going with this?" Megan questioned, wondering what her best friend was thinking.

"Well, I was thinking we could have a dinner at mine and Elena's house. A 'get to know you' dinner. Bonnie and Stefan can spend some quality time and she'll see how a great guy he is. And I can get to know my best friend's new boyfriend, make sure he has no secrets." Her voice turned teasing at the end. Stefan chuckled, but you listened closely, it was a nervous chuckle.

Megan grinned. "I think that's a great idea!" She slipped an arm through Stefan's as she looked up at him. "What do you think, Stefan? If it's too awkward, you don't have to." She didn't want to ruin this by making him do something he didn't want to do.

Stefan shook his head, smiling down at her. "No, it sounds great."

She smiled in relief. "Good."

"Great! Then it's settled." Charlene smiled, slipping her arm through Stefan's other one.

Tyler Lockwood, who was tossing a football around with Matt and another guy, was watching with jealous eyes, which only deepened seeing Charlene putting her arm through Stefan's. He scoffed. Was she trying to make him jealous? She had to see him there. If she was, in fact, trying to do that…well it was working.

"What's so special about this Stefan guy anyway?" Tyler grumbled. "He's not that great."

Matt shrugged as he caught the football. "I haven't talked to him…but he seems nice."

Tyler looked at the group of four, watching as Elena laughed at something Stefan said, causing the Lockwood boy to smirk. "Looks like Elena thinks so too."

Knowing what he was trying to do, Matt rolled his eyes. "You're a dick."

"It's true, look at how she's laughing."

"Ty, stop. It doesn't matter. Stefan's with Megan anyway."

"Still, the point still stands. If you're not careful, someone will take Elena away."

Matt looked at him, frustrated. "Hey, what am I supposed to do, Ty? She chose to break up with me."

"Let her know she made the wrong one." Tyler took the football from Matt.

"What are you doing? Ty, don't. Ty, don't! Ty!"

Before Matt could stop him, Tyler hurled the football at Stefan. Unfortunately for him, he quickly turned around and caught the football. Matt and Tyler looked shocked.

Charlene gave Tyler a glare. "Jerk!" she exclaimed, knowing he only did that because he was jealous. She huffed as Elena and Megan laughed.

Stefan threw the football back at Tyler in lightning speed. The football slammed into his stomach but he managed to keep it in his hands. Tyler stood there still, shell shocked, while Matt looked impressed now.

"That was amazing, Stefan!" Megan said excitedly.

Stefan chuckled. "Thanks."

"Very impressive." Elena agreed.

"Seriously though, you should join the team!" Megan suggested with a grin.

This made her boyfriend shake his head. "I don't think so."

Megan opened her mouth to ask him why, but Charlene interrupted before she could.

"We should get to class before Mr. Tanner gets pissed. Though, isn't he always?"

Elena and Megan stifled a laugh and Stefan smiled as they headed to class.

* * *

Charlene settled down at her desk, doodling in her History notebook. The discussion was already getting boring as it normally did. Though Stefan and Megan's conversation caught her attention.

"Why won't you join the team? Our team sucks. Trust me, I'm at every game since I'm a cheerleader, and they could use you. Aaand, we would get to spend a lot of time together." Megan whispered with an inviting smile.

"Can't." Stefan whispered back with a slight smile.

"Why not?" Megan pouted.

"I'm a loner."

Megan rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but giggle. A little too loudly, catching Mr. Tanner's attention.

"Ms. Bennett?"

Charlene shook her head, stifling a laugh. Her best friend needed to do a better job at being quiet. Then again, it wouldn't be Megan if she was quiet.

Megan winced, turning her head around to face her teacher. "Um, yeah?"

"Pearl Harbor?"

"Erm…what was the question again?" she asked, scratching her head.

"Pearl Harbor…when did it end?" he responded slowly, effectively making Megan feel stupid and she blushed.

"I…"

Luckily, being the knight and shining amour that he was, Stefan saved Megan. "December 7, 1941."

"Thank you, Ms. Bennett." Mr. Tanner said sarcastically.

"Anytime." Charlene stifled a laugh while Megan hid a big smile behind her hand.

"Very well." Mr. Tanner shook his head. "The fall of the Berlin Wall?"

"1989." At the history teacher's semi-shocked look, Stefan simply smiled. "I'm good with dates, sir."

"Are you? How good? Keep it to the year. Civil Rights Act?"

"1954."

"John F. Kennedy assassination?"

"1963."

"Martin Luther King?"

"'68."

"Lincoln?"

"1865."

"Roe vs. Wade?"

"1973."

"Brown vs. Board?"

"1954."

"The battle of Gettysburg?"

"1863."

"Korean War?"

"1950 to 1953."

"Ha! It ended in '52!" Mr. Tanner said smugly.

"Uh, actually sir, it was 53."

His eyes narrowed at him. "Look it up, somebody. Quickly."

Wanting to prove Mr. Tanner wrong too, Megan looked it up and glanced up, grinning.

"It was 19…53!" she sang brightly, turning her grin over to Stefan. The bell rang and they were free to go.

Charlene laughed. "That was awesome, Stefan!"

"How did you even know all of that?" Megan questioned curiously as she slipped her hand in Stefan's. "I can't even memorize half the stuff I learn in History."

Stefan chuckled. "Years and years of crosswords puzzles. It's a loner thing."

"Mm…maybe I should try the loner scene, might even pass my exams this year." Megan joked, causing Charlene to giggle. Then she shrugged. "Then again, I like people too much."

Stefan smiled.

"That, and life wouldn't be the same if you were a loner chick. I'd miss you too much." Charlene told her best friend.

"Aw Char!" Megan let go of Stefan to hug her friend before pulling back to grin at her. "Glad to know you love me so much."

"Well, don't be getting a big head about it."

Megan giggled. "Too late!" She moved in front of them and began walking backwards. "I'll see you guys later! Cheer practice!" She blew kisses their way. "And Stefan? At least think about joining the football team, okay? For me?" He didn't respond as she turned around and hurried away to make it to cheer practice on time.

Charlene nudged Stefan in the side and he looked over at her. "You know, she's not gonna give on trying to get you to join the football team." she said with a grin. "It's not in her nature."

"Yeah, I've noticed." Stefan smiled.

"As long as you know." Charlene patted him on the shoulder. "See ya." With that, she went down the hallway to go to her locker.

-0-

Though she wasn't a cheerleader, Charlene liked going to the practice to support her friends.

While Megan did her stretches along with Bonnie, she played on her phone and was surprised when an unknown number flashed on her screen. Her eyebrows furrowed, but she decided to press ignore since she didn't know who it was.

"Oh my God!" Charlene glanced up to see Megan and Bonnie hugging Elena happily. "I can't believe you're here!"

"Me either." Charlene smiled up at her sister as she put her phone back in her purse.

Elena smiled back. "Yep! I can't be sad girl forever." She sat down next to them. "The only way to get things back to the way they were are to do things that were."

"Amen sister." Charlene laughed and Elena winked as they fist-pumped.

"Oh! Before I forget…" Megan started as she turned to her sister. "You and me are having dinner at Elena and Char's house."

Bonnie rose an eyebrow. "We are?"

"Yeah!" Megan said brightly. "You, me, and Stefan." Bonnie's eyes went wide and she hurriedly continued. "Please Bon, you have to give him a chance."

Elena and Charlene said nothing, knowing this was between them.

"Tonight's no good." Bonnie said quickly. Megan gave her a look, but her sister ignored it. "Have you seen Caroline? I texted her like a hundred times."

"Bonnie, don't change the subject." Megan begged. "Please, just do this…for me."

Bonnie stared at her before she sighed heavily. "Fine. I'll go."

"Thank you!" Megan hugged her. "Thank you so much!" She broke the hug and Charlene spoke up.

"If it makes you feel better, me and Elena will be there."

Bonnie nodded. It was around thirty minutes later and Caroline was still nowhere in sight. All of them were worried.

"Seriously, where is Caroline?" Bonnie asked worriedly, checking her phone.

"I don't know…" Elena frowned. "It's not like her."

"Yeah, usually she's practicing way before we get here." Megan added.

"I'm sure she's okay." Charlene said, trying to be the level headed one as always.

"I'll try her again…" Bonnie mumbled. Before she could even do that, Caroline showed up in a blue car driven by…Damon Salvatore.

Elena, Bonnie, Megan, and Charlene watched as she leaned over and kissed him.

"Uh…" Elena stared, gaping.

"Oh my god." Bonnie said surprised. "That must be the mystery guy from the Grill."

"He's no mystery." Charlene mumbled and they looked over at her. "That's Damon Salvatore."

"Salvatore, as in Stefan?!" Both Elena and Bonnie exclaimed at the same time.

Caroline closed Damon's car door before gliding over to the rest of the squad. "I got the other brother." She smirked in Megan's direction. "Hope you don't mind."

Megan didn't know what to say to that as Charlene shook her head and looked over at Damon's car to find it still there.

His blue eyes caught hers and he smirked before he drove off. Then Charlene heard her phone buzz in her hand as she looked down at the screen. It was the same random number, but this time, it was a text that read:

"It was nice seeing you again, Charlene."

Charlene was shocked, knowing who it was.

 _Damon._

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Friday Night Bites, Part 2...**

 **I hate to beg for reviews, but please please, give me some more reviews! Want to know if you like the new version of this story! And if there's anything you'd like me to change! Please let me know!**


	7. Friday Night Bites, Part 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the second part of Friday Night Bites! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires. Please leave reviews!

* * *

Freaked out by the message she got, well not freaked out but definitely worried, Charlene decided to go back to the house. She used the excuse of wanting to get an early start on dinner. If Jenna wasn't cooking, usually Charlene was the one to cook. It was one of the things she was taught by her dad. Grayson Gilbert was an amazing cook.

Charlene could remember vividly, watching her father cook as she and Elena played with their toys while her mother settled down on the couch with a glass of wine, just watching him with so much love in her eyes. It was one of those moments that was going to stick with her forever.

As she headed out, Charlene noticed Stefan out on the football field and stifled a laugh. Well, she guessed he changed his mind about trying out. She shook her head, fixing her bag over her shoulder. While she walked the sidewalk, Charlene saw from the corner of her eye a familiar blue driving alongside her. Damon. She couldn't help but groan to herself.

"Hey there." Damon greeted with a smirk on his face. Charlene tried to ignore him. "Oh come on, don't ignore me. You know it won't last long."

"Fine. What do you want?" Charlene asked, not looking at him as she crossed her arms.

"I was just wondering if you wanted a ride home, it's not safe to walk by yourself."

Charlene rolled her eyes. "No thanks. I'm good. Besides, I don't think Caroline would like that."

"Oh, she'll be okay. She'll just be glad I'm getting along with her friends." Damon smirked again. Charlene finally looked over at him and his smirk turned into a smile. "So, come on, let me give you a ride home. It's the least I can do."

Charlene knew she shouldn't, but she found herself saying yes anyway. "Alright…fine."

With that, Damon stopped the car and she opened the passenger door, sliding inside. She put on her seatbelt as he started driving again. Charlene didn't know why she even said yes, but this was better than walking all the way home.

"Um, I like your car." She commented, wanting to break the silence.

"Mm, thanks. It gets me around."

Charlene caught the underlining suggestion and she snorted a little.

"What?" Damon asked, amused as he stared at her from the corner of his eye.

"I bet you use that line with all the girls." Charlene said, rolling her eyes.

This made him smirk. "Only pretty blondes."

Charlene flashed him an annoying look. "You're unbelievable." Though her heart did flutter a little bit at the 'pretty' part.

His smirk widened. "Thank you."

"It's not a compliment."

"Then I'll just take as one."

Charlene rolled her eyes again. She seemed to do that a lot around him and she hadn't even known him that long. There was a silence again. Luckily though, she didn't feel the need to fill the silence because they were finally at her house.

"Thanks for the ride." Charlene said, grabbing her bag. Before she could get out of the car, she felt Damon grab onto her arm. "What?"

"About that text message you got."

Her eyes met his. "What about it?"

"Well, you were probably wondering how I got your number…"

Charlene shrugged uncaringly. "No…not really."

Damon looked like he didn't believe her, but he said nothing about as he went on. "I got it from Caroline…I thought maybe we could be friends…your best friend is dating my brothers, so it would be good for both of us if we got along. What do you think?"

She said nothing for a moment. "Okay…we can be friends." Even if he was the most annoying person in the world, he made a good point.

Damon smiled. "Good…bye Charlene." He said as she got out of his car.

Before she headed inside, Charlene turned back around. "Hey, um, we're having a 'get to know you' dinner tonight, so maybe you can come and you can bring Caroline, if you want to come…or not. Whatever." She chuckled nervously.

"Okay."

"Okay? Okay, great." Charlene smiled as she brushed her hair out of her face. "See you tonight." With that, she went inside the house. She went into the kitchen where she saw Aunt Jenna. "Hi Jenna." Charlene greeted as she sat her bag on the counter.

* * *

Stefan Salvatore returned home from football tryouts. He had made the team. Though he had been adamant about not trying out, he changed his mind about it, deciding it would be a good thing. He did come back to Mystic Falls for a fresh start and to make new friends, so why not try out for the football team? Besides, he could spend more time with Megan. He needed to learn more about her.

Stefan entered his bedroom. To his dismay, there was Damon, sitting on his reading chair with his legs propped up on the desk and Stefan's journal in his hands while he flipped through the pages.

"How were the tryouts?" Damon questioned with a smirk, his eyes still trained on the pages of his diary. "Did you make the team? Very Emerson, the way you reveal your soul with so many… _adjectives_."

Stefan stormed over and ripped the diary out of his hands. Damon held his hands up as he glared at him.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan demanded.

Damon stood up to his feet. "I've come to apologize." He answered, standing in front of Stefan. "I've been doing some thinking, some soul searching, and…I want us to start over. We need to put the past behind us. You're my little brother, and if you want to live a normal, happy _human_ life, then I want that for you. Maybe I can do it, too. That I can learn to be a non-living living person. Maybe there's hope for both of us." He tried to keep a straight face, but failed.

Stefan sighed to himself. "You know, it doesn't have to be this way, Damon.

"Of course it doesn't," Damon agreed. He smirked. "I saw Megan today, BTW. That means, 'by the way" He ignored the way Stefan's body tensed at the mention of his girlfriend's name. "She was at cheerleading practice…she looked so perky in her little short shorts. And Elena…wow she looked good with her pom-poms…and Charlene…" He trailed off. "I couldn't take my eyes off of her." Stefan glared at him hard and he held out his hands in a surrender pose with the smirk still on his face. "Simmer down, I didn't go near them." Except for Charlene, but Stefan didn't need to know that…at least not yet. "Besides, I've got my own cheerleader, ooh that reminds me… I got to run. I have a date. Sweaty palms…wish me luck."

Watching him leave, Stefan rolled his eyes before heading to the bathroom to take a shower.

* * *

Eventually, Elena, Megan, and Bonnie showed up to help Charlene with dinner.

Megan seriously hoped this worked out. She didn't want her sister to not get along with her new boyfriend. Bonnie's approval meant the entire world to her. So, hopefully, Charlene's dinner idea worked.

"Don't worry about it." Charlene tried to assure her as she chopped up the vegetables. "This is going to work and if it doesn't, you can blame it on me. Or blame it on the food." She offered at the end, jokingly.

Megan giggled. "Right, I'll remember that." She sighed, leaning against the counter. "I just want Bonnie to like him."

"And she will, just give her time." Charlene said as she patted her best friend on the shoulder. "Stefan's not that hard to like…unlike that brother of his." She mumbled to last part, but Megan heard and she stared at her blonde friend, wondering what that was about.

"I hope so." Megan said before going over to Elena and Bonnie.

"You explain it." Bonnie was saying to Elena in an exasperated tone. "Last night, I'm watching Nine-o, a commercial break comes on, and I'm like, I bet it's the phone commercial. And sure enough, it's that guy and the girl with the bench, he flies to Paris and flies back. They take a picture."

"Oh come on." Elena pressed. "That commercial's on a constant loop."

"She's got a point there, Bon." Megan agreed, popping a grape in her mouth from the nearby bowl. Though she was all for Bonnie finally believing that she was a witch, she wasn't gonna try and force her. Maybe it was best for her sister to stay in the dark about it.

"Fine. Well, what about this? Today, I'm obsessed with numbers. 3 numbers. I keep seeing 8, 14, and 22. How weird is that?"

"Maybe we should play the lottery." Elena joked. Charlene chuckled from where she was, but then the brunette turned serious. "Have you talked to your Grams?"

"She's just going to say it's because I'm a witch." Bonnie said, whining a little. "I don't want to be a witch. Do you want to be a witch?" The question was to Elena.

"I don't want to be a witch."

"Oh come on, I think it would be cool to be a witch." Megan announced, and they looked at her. "At least, you'd be a hot witch." She took another grape and put it in her mouth as she moved over to put the to-go food she bought with her into a bowl. She wanted to bring something for the dinner since Charlene was doing this for her.

"And putting it in a nice bowl isn't fooling anybody." Bonnie told her.

"It might." Megan countered back, but knew it was a bad comeback. She decided to brush it off as Elena searched for something.

"Okay, serving spoons…where are the serving spoons?" Elena muttered.

"Middle drawer on your left." And it was exactly what Bonne said they were.

Elena stared at her for a moment, then shook her head. "Okay, so you've been in this kitchen a million times."

"Yeah, that's it."

The doorbell rang and Megan perked up. "He's here!" she squealed as she whirled around to face Bonnie and told her, "Be nice." Then she rushed towards the front door. Charlene, Elena, and Bonnie shared amused looks.

Megan got to the front door and opened it, revealing Stefan on the other side. She beamed.

"Stefan! You're here!

He smiled. "Hey. And of course, I told you I would be."

"Well, come in! Dinner should be ready soon." Megan beamed at him again as she turned around to head towards the kitchen, missing Stefan slowly stepping inside, making sure he could.

Before they knew it, dinner was underway and it wasn't what Megan expected. It was all kinds of awkward with Bonnie not even making eye contact with Stefan, deciding to keep her gaze on her food.

"See, told you everything would be okay." Charlene whispered to her.

Megan shook her head. "It's still early…" she mumbled, poking at her carrots.

"So, Stefan, did Tanner give you a hard time today?" Elena asked, gathering everyone's attention.

"Well, he let me on the team, I must have done something right."

Megan smiled at that. "I thought you did great. Tanner would have been stupid not to let you on the team." He smiled back and her smile widened as she turned to Bonnie. "Bon, you should have seen Stefan today, Tyler threw a ball right at him, and…"

Bonnie cut her off. "Yeah, I heard."

Megan flinched but went on. "Hey, why don't you tell him about the witches in our family?" she suggested, trying to find a topic they could talk about…and that was the first thing that came to mind. Stefan glanced at her. "Yeah, we have a long line of witches in our family. It's pretty cool."

Bonnie gave her a look. "Cool isn't the word I'd use."

Stefan leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Well, it's certainly interesting." He agreed. "I'm not too versed, but I do know that there's a history of Celtic druids that migrated here in the 1800s."

"They came from Salem."

"Really?" He sounded surprised. "Salem witches?"

Bonnie nodded. "Yeah."

"I would say that's pretty cool."

It was her sister's turn to be surprised. "Really? Why?"

"Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and nonconformity."

Bonnie smiled and Megan did too, happy to see her sister actually smiling in front of Stefan. "Yeah, they are."

The doorbell rang again.

Elena frowned. "I wonder who could that be."

Charlene was the one who stood up, rather quickly as she left the dining room. Wanting to see who it was that had her friend excited, Megan followed her friend to the front door. She watched with close eyes as Charlene seemed to fix herself up before she opened the door. Damon was on the other side with Caroline right beside him, holding up a cake with a bright smile on her face.

"Surprise!" She exclaimed brightly. "Bonnie said you were doing dinner, so we brought dessert. Oh! And Charlene, Damon said you invited us to come too, that was so sweet of you." Caroline smiled again, handing over the cake to Charlene as she stepped inside the house.

"Uh yeah." Charlene blushed. Megan stared at her. When did that happen?

"Yeah, it was very sweet." Damon smirked. Just then, Stefan showed up and he didn't look very happy to see Damon. "Hello brother."

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked stiffly.

"Charlene invited me." Damon answered, smirking again in Charlene's direction. "And I'm waiting for her to invite me in."

With that, Charlene seemed to realize he was still outside. "Oh! Right, yeah, come…"

Stefan cut her off, startling her. "No, no, no." He said quickly. "He can't, uh…he can't stay. Can you Damon?"

Caroline spoke up before the other Salvatore could answer. "Get in here." She ordered in the most Caroline way possible.

"We're just…finishing up." Stefan tried again.

"Yeah we were, but it's okay." Charlene assured. "We still have desert, well now we do." She smiled in Caroline's direction at the blonde beamed back at her. "Thank you, Care." Then she turned towards Damon. "Come on in."

He smirked as he stepped inside, his shoulder brushing against Charlene. "You and Elena have lovely home."

"Thank you." Charlene led Damon and Caroline to the dining room, leaving Megan and Stefan alone.

Stefan was the first to speak. "How did Damon know about this?" he asked.

Megan shrugged. "I don't know…I think Charlene invited him or something."

That was all the answer she could give because it was the truth. She had no idea why Char would invite him after that unpleasant first meeting. Megan figured her best friend had a good reason to ask him, which was something she was going to ask about after the dinner party.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Fright Night Bites, Part 3...**

 **Thank for all the lovely reviews! I'm glad your loving the story. I'm having so much fun with it! Though I loved writing SITWOV, I'm loving this one a lot more. The characters of Charlene and Megan seem more realistic in this one than the other. Honestly, it does change things if you put characters in a different situation and this is definitely different, but in the best way possible. :) What do you think of the Charlene/Damon dyamtic this time around? He definitely is earning her trust a lot sooner, but of course that won't last long.**

 **Anyway, please leave reviews and tell me what you thought!**


	8. Friday Night Bites, Part 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the second part of Friday Night Bites! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires. Please leave reviews!

* * *

After dinner was over, they all gathered in the living room. Caroline was settled next to Damon, perching herself on the arm of the chair. Just talking away, like usual.

"I cannot believe that Mr. Tanner let you on the team." Caroline gushed before taking a sip of her drink. "Tyler must be seething. But good for you. Go for it."

"That's what I always tell him." Damon agreed, placing a hand on Caroline's knee. Megan noticed Char tried not to look bothered by seeing this. "You have to engage. You can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you. You have to go get it."

Caroline bobbed her head in agreement. "Yeah, Elena wasn't so lucky today." She said. "It's only because you missed summer camp. God, I don't know how you're ever going to learn the routines."

Bonnie stared at her. "I'll work with her. She'll get it."

"I guess we can put her in the back." Caroline mumbled to herself.

Charlene rolled her eyes internally. She loved Caroline, but the blonde could be a real bitch if she wanted to.

Damon turned his attention to Elena. "You know, you don't seem like the cheerleader type, Elena."

Elena smiled into her cup.

"Oh, it's just because her parents died." Caroline stated bluntly. "Yeah, I mean, she's just totally going through a blah phase. She used to be a lot more fun. Charlene used to be a lot more fun too and used to be on the cheerleading team too, but decided to quit because she decided it wasn't worth the time anymore. Which I guess was a good thing for me since I got to be cheer captain."

"Caroline!" Megan scolded, seeing the hurt looks on both Charlene and Elena's faces. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

She ignored the question as she went on, glancing at Charlene and Elena. "And I say that with complete sensitivity."

"I'm sorry Elena, Charlene." Damon apologized sincerely. "I know what it's like to lose both of your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we've ever cared about die."

Stefan stared at Damon hard. "We don't need to get into that right now, Damon."

His brother smirked at him. "Oh, you know what, you're right Stef. I'm sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her up."

Megan knew exactly who Damon was talking about and she stiffened. Though she hated hearing about Stefan's old love interest, but she couldn't help but wonder who this Demetria was…and what happened between Stefan and her…

* * *

Charlene was busy putting up the dishes, cleaning them in the sink before slipping them in the dishwasher. While she cleaned up, Elena and the rest of the group stayed in the living room, talking.

"One more."

Charlene turned around and saw Damon, holding onto a glass with a smirk on his face. Thinking about it, when did she not see him with a smirk on his face?

"Oh, thanks." Charlene smiled gratefully. "I could have of sworn I got everything."

"I guess sometimes you need extra eyes." Damon said.

She laughed softly. "Yeah, good point." Damon smirked as he handed Charlene the glass. She grasped it, but it managed to slip from her grip. Luckily, Damon caught it easily. Charlene giggled, unable to help it. "Nice catch." She put it in the dishwashers as Damon spoke.

"I like you." He said, smiling. "You know how to laugh. And Megan…she's good for my brother. She makes him smile, which is something I haven't seen in a long time."

Charlene's smile fell and she cleared her throat a little. "So, um, when you mentioned her…were you talking about Demetria?"

"Mm-hmm." Damon nodded.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did she die?"

"In a fire. Tragic fire."

Charlene bit her lip for a moment. "Was it recent?"

"It seems like it was yesterday."

The blonde nodded as she quietly continued to put up dishes. "Did you guys both date her?"

Damon snorted a little. "No. She wasn't my type…" he answered. "But…I did date her best friend's sister…"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Demetria's best friend was named Katherine, who actually reminds me a lot of Elena…and Abigail…Katherine's sister…"

Charlene said nothing for a moment. "Did they die too?"

"Yeah…in the same fire…"

"What was Abigail like?" Charlene questioned. Then she saw the look on Damon's face and winced. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, Damon."

"No…no…it's okay. She was beautiful. A lot like you in that department." He smirked in her direction and Charlene blushed. "She was also very complicated and selfish and at times not very kind, but very sexy and seductive. And she was also very loyal to her sister, Katherine."

"Well, the sexy and seductive part is definitely not me." Charlene giggled, brushing her hair out of her face.

Damon's smirk widened. "Mm, I don't know about that." He moved closer to her, a little too close.

Charlene's heart skipped a beat as he brushed away a piece of hair that she missed. Her eyes met his and she licked her lips. She couldn't help but notice the way Damon's blue eyes darkened when she did this. Before she did something she regretted, Megan, Bonnie, and Elena strolled into the kitchen, causing her to jump away, a blush on her cheeks.

"Hey." Bonnie said as Megan and Elena narrowed their eyes at Charlene. "Need some help?"

Damon stared at the girls for a moment before shrugging. "Sure, why not?"

* * *

The dinner party was over and Charlene was in her room, glancing up only when Megan entered the room. She already knew what her best friend was going to ask.

"What were you and Damon talking about before we came in?" Megan questioned, sitting down next to the blonde.

Charlene shrugged. "Nothing really…I asked him about Demetria…wondering if he dated her too. I was trying to see if that was maybe the reason why he and Stefan didn't get along."

Megan looked at her surprise. "And did they?"

"No…he dated someone named Abigail…but she was Demetria's best friend's sister, her name was Katherine."

Her best friend's eyes went wide slightly. "Wow…complicated much?"

"Tell me about it."

"Well, if that's not the reason, then I wonder why they hate each other so much." Megan mused out loud.

Charlene shrugged. "Who knows?"

Megan was silent for a moment. "So… did we interrupt something?"

Knowing what she was talking about, Charlene blushed. "Maybe a little…" she mumbled. "But I'm glad you did…it would have been a bad idea."

"Yeah it would have…he's dating Caroline…and it just isn't a good idea."

Charlene nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we can just be friends." She said.

"Good." There was silence between the two friends until Megan broke the silence. "Okay, well I'll see you tomorrow. Love you." She gave her friend a one armed hug.

"I love you too."

After giving her another hug and a bright smile, Megan left the room, leaving Charlene alone.

She thought about their conversation. Charlene knew her best friend was right. Damon wouldn't be a good idea. She already dated a Damon, she didn't need another…but still, she wasn't blind to the fact how attractive he was. However, just because he was attractive didn't mean he was good for her, so it was better to just try and stay away from him.

That didn't stop the dreams though.

* * *

It was time for the football game, and Megan couldn't help but feel extra excited for this football game, especially since it was Stefan's first game ever! Her excitement was obvious to everyone.

"If you keep smiling like that, your face is going to fall off." Charlene teased, snapping a picture of her with her camera. This was the first time bringing her camera out since her parents died.

"Hey! You got it out!" Megan beamed.

Her best friend laughed. "Yeah, decided it was time before it gathered even more dust."

"Aw, good!" She smiled again. She was so happy everything was getting back to normal for her best friend.

"Hey Stefan!" Charlene greeted, noticing him behind Megan, who whirled around to face him.

She beamed at him and skipped over to meet him, grinning as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Don't you look hot in your jersey? I knew you'd look good in anything."

Stefan laughed and Megan grinned.

Seeing how cute they looked, Charlene couldn't help but snap a picture of them. They didn't seem to notice. The blonde looked at it and smiled. She was definitely going to be framing this.

Megan kissed Stefan before pulling back with a smile. Suddenly, Stefan looked shy and Charlene knew this was a private moment, so she left them alone, not that they noticed.

"I hope you don't think this is too soon or too weird, but…I, uh, I wanted you to have this." He pulled out a box before opening it up, revealing the most beautiful necklace Megan had ever seen. Her eyes widened.

"It's gorgeous, Stefan! But I can't take it…" Oh, but she wanted to.

"Yeah, I knew it would be too weird…" he mumbled.

"Stefan, it's not that…it's just too much. It must have cost a fortune."

Stefan shook his head. "It didn't…I've had it forever…" he told her softly. "And, uh, I've never wanted to give it to anyone until now." Megan's face softened. "I'd very much like it if you'd wear it for me, for…good luck."

How could she say no to that? "Okay…" Megan said softly, causing him to smile. "Thank you." She gently took the necklace out of the box. A certain smell caught her nose and she brought it there. "Is that rose I smell?"

"No, it's, uh…it's an herb. It's nice, huh?"

"Yeah." Megan chuckled. She held it out to Stefan and she didn't even have to ask him to help her put it on. Once it was on her neck, she turned around, smiling up at him. "How does it look?"

"Beautiful." Stefan smiled back, brushing her hair out of her face before cupping her face and bringing her in for a soft kiss.

Megan was the first to pull away and she sighed happily.

"Hey, do you mind giving this to Charlene?" Stefan asked, bringing out a small bracelet.

"Sure, what's it for?"

"Just a friendship bracelet."

This made her smile, happy her best friend and her boyfriend were getting along. "Yeah, I'll give it to her." Megan kissed him again, then pulled away.

Stefan smiled at her again, sliding his hands down her arms to grab her own hands. "And, uh, I wanted to thank you for pushing me to try out for the team. It feels good."

"I'm so glad." Megan told him. "I knew you'd be great out there. Good luck." He smiled at her one more time and kissed her forehead, then went odd to join the rest of the team.

Caroline popped up out of nowhere, startling her. She scolded her for not having her uniform on yet before tugging her to rest of the cheerleading team.

* * *

Before they knew it, it was nighttime now. People were tailgating and cheering for the team. Mr. Tanner was current giving a speech to heat up the crowd.

"Let's be honest here. In the past, we used to let other teams come into our town and roll right over us!" There was boos from the crowds. But that is about to change." And the cheering started again, the cheerleaders and football players being the loudest. We've got some great new talent tonight starting on the offense, and I'm gonna tell you right now, it has been a long time since I have seen a kid like this with hands like these. Let's give it up for Stefan Salvatore!"

Everyone burst into cheers again. Not everyone was happy about this.

Tyler Lockwood frowned, narrowing his eyes at Stefan. He couldn't help but scoff, as he glanced at Matt.

"This blows…" he grumbled angrily to him, but the blonde ignored him. "He can't start the guy. He just got here."

"That have been waiting for us to put a check in the win column, I have only one thing to say to you…your Timberwolves are hungry!" Cheers erupted again as Tyler pushed through the crowd to go over to Vicki.

She smirked. "Hey babe…" she said brightly, grasping both of his arms. Then she saw the annoyed expression on his face and her smile fell as it was replaced with a frown. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He answered stiffly, not wanting to tell her what was wrong. Just then, he noticed Jeremy sitting with his group of druggies. Anger striked through him. If he couldn't take his anger out on Stefan, then Jeremy was the next best thing. "Is that Jeremy?"

Vicki sensed that something was going to happen and she tried to push him back as he walked over to Jeremy. It didn't work. One of Jeremy's friends stood up and went behind Jeremy as the young Gilbert stood up and Tyler stood in front of him.

"Ty! Leave him alone." Vicki tried again.

"Oh, what do you care?" Tyler sneered before turning back to face Jeremy, who looked upset as he glanced at Vicki. Then he mocked Jeremy, sneering, "Don't look so down. You can have when I'm done."

Jeremy threw the first punch, thus beginning a fight that had everyone in a frenzy.

Vicki tried to stop it but the screaming wasn't helping. Once Jeremy was on the ground, Tyler went to punch him again but found his wrists being gripped by Stefan Salvatore, the person who had him pissed off in the first place.

"Hey, he's down!" Stefan snapped, pulling him up to his feet. "Enough!"

Blinded by anger, Tyler punched Stefan in the face, but nothing happened. He had the decency to look scared.

Jeremy grabbed a broken glass bottle and tried to strike Tyler with it, but Tyler moved out of the way. He ended up cutting Stefan's hand instead.

Elena and Charlene emerged on the scene, along with Megan and Matt.

"Stefan!" Megan exclaimed, spotting his bleeding hand as Charlene and Elena shouted,

"Jeremy, no!"

Matt tried to grab Tyler. "Tyler, knock it off! Stop!"

"What the hell Jeremy?!" Elena shouted, pushing him away from Tyler so she could check on him properly. "Put your head up, you're bleeding."

Jeremy pushed Elena away. "I'm fine!"

"Yeah, you smell fine." She snapped.

"Elena…Jeremy…stop." Charlene pushed by Elena to check on her brother. "Are you sure you're, okay?" Her voice was concerned as she tried to touch him, but he smacked her hand away.

"Just stop, okay?!" With that, Jeremy stormed away.

"Come on, man. Come on." Matt managed to drag Tyler away.

Megan rushed over to Stefan. "Your hand, it's bleeding!" He shoved his hand behind his back. "Let me look at it!"

"No, no, no, it's fine."

"No, it's not! Let me see it! Stefan, please!" Megan managed to grab his hand to look it over, but saw it was just fine. It left her completely confused. "Wait but…I saw…I saw it…"

"He missed." Stefan tried to assure her. "It's not my blood. See?" He showed her the palm of his hand. "I'm _fine_." He pulled her into a hug. Her body was shaking a little. "I'm okay." He smoothed his hand through her hair.

Megan let out a shaky chuckle. "Now, I'm the one freaking out over blood." She felt his chest rumble in a laugh as he hugged her tighter.

"It's almost kickoff time, alright? So, I'll see you after the game." He broke the hug and went off.

Megan stared after him. Though she believed he was okay, she knew what she saw. He had been bleeding…

* * *

Megan hurried off to find Bonnie, wanting to find out more about the feeling she had.

"Bonnie!" she shouted. Her sister turned and she stopped in front of her, breathing heavily a little. "Okay, I want you to be serious with me. No jokes."

Bonnie looked at her confused, but nodded. "Of course. What is it?"

"The thing you told me about a couple days ago…about the bad feeling you got from Stefan…"

Her sister cut her off. "You know what, forget I said that." She informed her. "Charlene's dinner party plot totally won be over."

"Bon, I'm being serious!" Megan looked at her sister pleadingly. "Please…just tell me…what did get from him? Did you see something, Bonnie?"

Bonnie sighed, looking down for a moment before glancing back up at Megan. "It wasn't clear like a picture. Like today, I keep seeing those same numbers I told you and Elena about…8, 14, 22."

Megan nodded, listening. "Yeah?"

"When I touched Stefan, it was a feeling. And it vibrated through, and it was cold, and it was…" Bonnie trailed off, shuddering.

"And it was what, Bon?" Megan pressed gently as she placed her hands on her sister's shoulders.

Bonnie let out a breath. "It was death…it's what I imagine death to be like."

* * *

Needing a jacket because it was getting cold outside, Charlene went to Megan's car to go grab it, but to also put her camera. She had taken so many pictures tonight. She felt normal for the first time in six months, going back to how things were before her parents died. It didn't mean she still didn't miss them, but she knew her parents would want her to be happy, and same went for Elena and Jeremy.

Charlene put her camera up first before she went to grab her jacket. Suddenly, she saw someone's reflection in the window and she whirled around, scared for a moment but then she relaxed when she saw that it was Damon. He smirked.

Charlene chuckled, placing a hand on her heart. "Geez Damon, you nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry."

"What are you doing here?" Charlene asked. "I didn't peg you as the football game type."

Damon smirked again. "Well, I'm a man of many things."

"I believe it." Charlene laughed. "But, seriously, what are you doing here?"

"I'm hiding from Caroline." Damon whispered as if he was telling her a secret.

"Why?"

"I needed a break. She walks more than I can listen."

"Yeah, she can be a bit much." Charlene could agree with him on that, but Caroline was a good person. She just had a hard showing it. "But it might be a sign that you shouldn't be together, I guess."

"Well, she's awfully young." Damon commented.

"She's just as young as you are." Charlene said, crossing her arms over chest. Her bracelet, the one that Stefan gave her, dangled around her wrist.

He shrugged at this. "I don't see it going anywhere in the bigger picture. I think she'd drive me crazy."

"I know she has have some really annoying traits, but we've been friends since the first grade. My friends are important to me and I would never do anything to ruin my and Caroline's friendship." Charlene told him seriously, reminding herself she couldn't let herself fall for him.

"Duly noted but…you were the one who tried to kiss me." Damon reminded her with a smirk, leaning forward.

Charlene blushed at the reminder. "I know I did, but that would have been a mistake. You're with Caroline…and like I said, I wouldn't do anything to hurt her."

"Still doesn't ignore the fact that you want me." Damon smirked at her. He got closely to her and she did move away, her back hit the back of Megan's car, so she couldn't move that far. Charlene gulped at his intense stare. "I get to you. You find yourself drawn to me. You think about me when you don't want to think about me. I bet you've even dreamed about me." He whispered this part as he reached up to stroke her face and Charlene couldn't help but shiver. "And right now…you want to kiss me."

Charlene knew in her mind that she couldn't. She couldn't kiss him, but for some reason, she just didn't to her mind. So, she kissed him.

Smirking as he deepened the kiss with her, Damon pulled her to his body and Charlene groaned at the feeling. Their tongues eventually tangled together, causing the kiss to become heated. Damon shoved her further against the car, one of his hands burying in her hair as his fingers tangled into her locks. Whoa, he was an amazing kisser.

"Mm…" Damon moaned, his hands smoothing down her hips as he brought them to his. Charlene gasped at the feeling. "Abigail…"

This effectively ruined the moment. Charlene shoved him away and slapped him across the face, stunning him.

"I am not Abigail!" she yelled at him, completely pissed off now. "I might remind you of her, but I'm not her and I never will be her! Stay away from me!" She shoved by him, her eyes welling with tears.

Why did she have to be so stupid?!

* * *

The night got even worse from there. Mr. Tanner got killed.

Megan was still in shock. She never liked the man, but she would never ever want him dead. She leaned back against her car as she saw Stefan come up to her and lean back next to her. Megan shook her head slowly.

"I just don't get it…" she mumbled. "I don't get why these animal are happening…why would an animal just come out of the woods and attack someone in the middle of town? It makes no sense…this shouldn't be happening, not here in Mystic Falls…"

"I know…" Stefan whispered and turned towards her.

"And your hand, I know what I saw. It was bleeding." Megan looked into his eyes.

"I'm fine." Stefan said, trying to assure her again as he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm fine, okay? We're fine. That's what matters."

Megan nodded as they both embraced. She rested her head on his shoulder, staring into nothing, as she continued to think about what Bonnie said. She could not feel what her sister had been feeling. The bad feeling she had previous was completely gone and now all she could feel was the good in Stefan. Despite her insecurities about Demetria, Megan couldn't deny that he felt the same way as she did…and she just knew…this was real.

* * *

That night, Charlene woke up suddenly, feeling as if someone had been touching her cheek. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at the clock. It was four in the morning.

Charlene groaned as she turned off her bedside table, which she had on to read her book, and she laid back down in bed, closing her eyes. She fell back to sleep easily. This time, Damon Salvatore wasn't on her mind.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Family Ties, Part 1...**

 **And there's the end of Friday Night Bites! What did you guys think? Thought it was fun to play around with especially the Damon/Charlene kissing scene. Damon is definitely not in her good graces now, and can't say I blame Charlene at all. lol.**

 **By the way, for the Family Ties episode, who should be Charlene's date to the founder's party? Would love some ideas because I have no idea lol.**

 **Anyway, please leave reviews and tell me what you thought about the last part of Friday Night Bites! :D**


	9. Family Ties, Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the first part of Family Ties! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires. Please leave reviews!

* * *

Charlene tossed and turned in her bed frantically, lost in an intense nightmare. Suddenly, her eyes popped open as she shot up out of her bed, her sister's name leaving her lips in a scream that probably echoed through the entire house. Sweat covered her face and her hair matted against her skin. Her hand went to her beating chest as she managed to calm herself down. The nightmare felt too real for words. Like her dreams though, she couldn't remember what her nightmare was about. All she knew was that it involved Elena getting killed.

Speaking of Elena…

Her sister burst through her bedroom door, looking worried. "Charlie?" she asked, using the special nickname that only certain people could use, Elena being one of them. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm…I'm fine." Charlene managed to answer, running her fingers through her sweaty hair. "Just a nightmare."

Her response didn't stop Elena's worry as she stepped further into the room. "Are you sure?"

Charlene nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'm sure. It was just a nightmare." From the look on her face, Elena didn't believe her, and she sighed. "Elena. Seriously, I'm fine. Just go back to bed."

Elena pursed her lips before she sighed as well and nodded. "Okay fine…I'll see you in the morning…" Before she went to leave, she added, "Oh, and remember we're going through mom and dad's stuff for Carole Lockwood."

This made Charlene remember that the Founder's party was tomorrow night. These words thus began another nightmare for her…

Finding a date for one of the biggest parties in Mystic Falls.

The next morning, Charlene was on her knees next to Elena, searching through their parents stuff. It was tough looking through it. Charlene couldn't help but be surprised that Elena wasn't having a harder time with doing this. Then again, their mother, Miranda, promised Mrs. Lockwood before she died that she would loan their stuff to the founder's council for their heritage display for the Founder's party. So, her sister was probably just focusing on that.

"It's strange looking through this stuff." Charlene mumbled to Elena as she twirled their great-great-grandmother Mary's wedding ring between her fingers. "Especially looking through it to give it away…" Elena opened her mouth to say something but she got to it first. "I know, I know, we're just loaning the stuff and we're getting it back, but still…it's hard."

"I know, but mom promised Mrs. Lockwood." Elena reminded her, even though she already knew that. "There's really nothing I can do."

Charlene sighed and nodded. "I know…"

She looked up at the news. Logan Fell was on the screen, talking about the recent animal attacks.

"To repeat, the animal terrorizing Mystic Falls has been caught."

Charlene tried and failed not to make a face at the screen. She never cared for Logan Fell, especially after hearing how awful he was to Aunt Jenna. No one as kind and great as Jenna was deserved to be treated that way. Aunt Jenna scowled at the screen.

"Scum ball." She grumbled, a little too loudly, catching Elena and Charlene's attention. "Scum bucket."

Elena's eyebrows furrowed at their aunt. "Who are you talking to?"

"Him."

"The news guy?"

Jenna's scowl deepened. "Also known as Logan "Scum" Fell."

"Yep." Charlene said. "Did mom never tell you why Jenna moved away from Mystic Falls?"

"Um no?" Elena responded confused, and Jenna was confused too.

"How do you know about it?"

Charlene shrugged. "I asked mom and she told me about it."

It took Elena a moment to realize what had happened. "Oh, no way. You and him?" She eyed Logan. "He's cute."

Charlene made a face. "Cute?" She shook her head. "Now I'm rethinking that you have good taste in guys." In response, Elena shoved her playfully and she shoved her back.

"He is not cute." Jenna disagreed as well. "There's nothing cute about him." She turned away from the television and took notice to what they were doing, causing her to go over. "What are you doing with that?"

"I went yesterday and got it from the safety deposit box. Mom told Mrs. Lockwood she would loan it to the founder's council for their heritage display." Elena explained as Jenna took the ring from Charlene to examine it.

"Is that Grandma Beth's wedding ring?" she asked, recognizing it.

"Well, if you want to get technical, it's great-great-grandma Mary's wedding ring." Charlene corrected with a grin. "If not, then yeah."

Jenna smiled down at her amused as she ruffled her niece's blonde hair before running her fingers through her tresses to fix it. "Funny."

Charlene smiled at the feeling of her fingers in her hair. It reminded her of Miranda. Whenever she couldn't go to sleep, or had a nightmare, her mother would run her fingers through her hair until she would calm down and go back to sleep. She missed that.

"I heard you screaming last night." Jenna said worriedly, still combing her fingers through Charlene's hair. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"Yeah, but it was no big deal. Nothing to worry about."

Jenna nodded, deciding to believe her. She took her fingers out of Charlene's hair to brush it down as Jeremy came into the kitchen, overhearing their conversation.

"It sounded like a big deal. You woke up the entire house." Jeremy commented, but didn't seem worried, only annoyed. Charlene rolled her eyes while Jenna shook her. "How much do you think this stuff is worth?" He asked Elena, swiping this pocket watch from the stuff. "You know, like on eBay?"

Elena scowled, plucking the watch out of Jeremy's hand as she put it back in the box and she stood up with it. "You're not gonna find out."

Jeremy scowled right back. Charlene sighed inwardly. Here it goes.

"That stuff is mom and dad's." he snapped. "You can't just give it away."

"I'm not giving it away." Elena said calmly. "It's called a loan, Jeremy." With that, she left the room. Jeremy looked over at Charlene, who looked back at him, shrugging weakly.

Her brother huffed in annoyance and left in a huff. The blonde sighed heavily. She didn't know what Jeremy expected her to do. There wasn't anything she could, even if she wanted to.

* * *

At their house, Megan patiently waited for Stefan to arrive. To say that was hard would be an understatement. Though she believed in Bonnie's feelings, Megan still didn't want to give up on what she had with him so far because maybe her sister's feeling was wrong. With the founder's party tonight, she needed a date and she was nervous about asking Stefan. What if he said no? They may have kissed and made things official but he could still say no. though it was unlikely, it was still possible.

Bonnie came into the room. "Still waiting for Stefan?"

"Yep." Megan chirped. "Where are you going?"

"Meeting Caroline at the Grill for lunch." Bonnie fixed her bag over her shoulder.

"Ah okay, well tell Charlene I said hi." Her best friend was working the afternoon shift, but Megan was gonna see her later.

Her sister nodded. "I will."

Finally Megan's wait was over. The doorbell rang and she jumped up from the couch, practically bouncing over to the front door. She swung open the door, revealing Stefan on the other side. Grinning, Megan pulled him inside of the house.

"Finally! You're here!" she exclaimed excitedly and Stefan chuckled at her excitement. Without saying anything else, she pulled him down for a passionate kiss. He kissed her back. The kiss broke when Bonnie's voice sounded.

"Oh, get a room." She teased. "Hi Stefan." He nodded in acknowledgement. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Bonnie smirked in Megan's direction.

The black haired teen grinned good-naturedly, blushing slightly. One last smirk, Bonnie left the house, leaving them alone.

Bonnie had a good idea about getting a room. Megan brought him up to her bedroom. It wasn't long until they were making out on her bed.

Megan moaned into Stefan's mouth as his hands explored her body. His fingers felt so good against her skin and she didn't want him to stop touching her. Their tongues tangled together passionately, making her moan again. Her own hands slid up the back of his shirt since she was below him and her body arched against his own. One of Stefan's hands left her body to tangle his fingers into her hair. She groaned at the feeling. Megan loved the feeling of someone's fingers there.

Stefan broke the kiss, panting for a moment, before he leaned back down to leave kisses down her neck.

Megan's heart beat against her chest quickly as she got more turned on. Not even Josh had made her feel this way…but she absolutely loved it.

Suddenly, Stefan broke away and sat up, moving his body off of hers. Panting as she sat up as well, Megan stared at Stefan's back, concerned. She placed a hand on his back and he seemed to flinch.

"Hey, you okay?" Megan asked worriedly, her hand now stroking him.

He nodded quickly. "I'm good. Sorry."

"No, it's okay." She reassured him. "I get it. We're going too fast. So, maybe we should take a break."

Stefan nodded again and turned towards her. "Yeah, you're probably right." He agreed. "That was getting a bit…"

"Yeah, a little." Megan chuckled, brushing her hair out of her face. "But it was nice."

He smiled. "Yeah?"

She smiled back. "Yeah." She reached forward and fixed Stefan's shirt. "So…I have a question…when was the last time you wore a suit?"

"Mm…it's been awhile."

"Well, what would you think about wearing one? To the Founder's Party…with me?"

Stefan looked surprised. "They still do that?"

"Yeah." Megan eyed him curiously. "Did you ever go to one?"

He shook his head. "No, the Salvatores' don't get invited."

"Why not?"

"Doesn't matter." Stefan brushed it off. Before she could ask again, he spoke, smiling at her. "But to answer your question, I would be honored to accompany you, Miss Bennett."

Megan grinned, scooting closer to him again as she put her arms around his neck. "The pleasure is mine, Mr. Salvatore."

* * *

Damon Salvatore was lying down on his hot little cheerleader's bed with a book in his hand. He rolled his eyes. This whole Twilight junk was stupid…they weren't even real vampire like he was. Besides this Edward character was so whipped. Looking up at Blondie, who was trying on dresses for the founder's ball, Damon made a disgusted look at the yellow dress that she had on.

"No yellow, Jaundice, go for the blue," he told her.

Blondie pouted in the mirror. "But I don't like the blue," she whined.

Damon forced himself not to rolling his eyes at as he flipped to the next page of 'Breaking Dawn.'

"Well I do," he said. "And if you're going to be my date…"

"You cannot be my date," Blondie interrupted, glancing over at him for a moment before looking back at the mirror. "My mom is going to be there and she's a very proud gun owner."

Damon continued to read the book, not looking at her, "I went through a lot of trouble to make sure this party wasn't cancelled. It's very important that I be there."

Caroline turned to face him with an amused smile on her face. Damon looked over her as his eyes dilated and her face became blank.

"Please take me."

It took her a couple moments before Blondie finally said, "You should come to the founder's party with me."

Damon smirked. "Not if you're wearing that dress." He informed her.

Blondie turned to face the mirror again as she took off the dress while Damon continued to read the book. She headed over to her closet and began looking for another dress to wear.

"What's so special about this Bella girl?" Damon asked eyes still trained on the book. He voiced his thought that he had before then, "This Edward guy is so _whipped_."

"You have to read the first book first," Blondie said with a roll of her eyes as she found something to try on, but it wasn't the blue one like Damon had suggested, but it was better than the yellow one she had on. She slipped her feet in the white dress and started to pull it up as she said, "It won't make sense if you don't." She walked back to the mirror and pulled the dress the rest of way up.

"I miss Ann Rice. She was _so_ on it."

"How come you don't sparkle?" Blondie asked curiously.

"Because I live in the real world, where vampire burn in the sun," Damon said, rolling his eyes but they stayed trained on the book.

"But you go in the sun." Blondie retorted.

Damon flashed the large ring on his finger without even looking at her. "That's because I have a ring. It protects me…long story."

Blondie started to touch the bite marks on her shoulders as she traced one of them with a distant look in her eyes. "Will these bites turn me into a vampire?" she asked, tracing the bite mark on the top of her shoulder.

Damon looked at her as she glanced at him. "No it's more complicated than that," he said as Blondie turned to face him and started to walk towards him. "You'd have to feed on my blood, then die, and then feed on a human's, it's a whole ordeal." Once she got closer enough to him, he smirked. "This book by the way has it all wrong."

He sat up in the bed, grabbed her by the waist, and flipped her on the bed with him over her. She giggled when he did this. Damon began kissing up and down her neck.

"You can be very sweet when you want to be." Blondie mumbled, tilting her head back to give him more access to her neck.

After kissing all the way up her neck, Damon planted a couple of soft kisses on her cheek. "Yes I can be sweet," he murmured. He kissed her on the lips once and started to caress her face and he couldn't help but think about how soft Charlene's cheek felt when he did the same thing to her.

Blondie looked at him as he continued to carless her. A thought popped in her head.

"Are you going to kill me?" she asked, sounding a bit frightened for his answer.

"Mm-hmm, but not yet."

"Why not?" Blondie questioned.

"Because there's something I need you to do for me," Damon said, touching her nose with his finger.

"Anything," Blondie said softly.

Damon smirked once again. That was exactly what he wanted to hear. "How good are you at getting this little nose…where it doesn't belong?"

Blondie smiled smugly. "Oh, I'm excellent."

"Mmm…" Damon hummed and he kissed her once more. Again, his mind went back to his kiss with Charlene. He surprisingly felt bad for calling her Abigail. He knew she wasn't, but he couldn't help it…her kiss reminded him so much of Abigail's kisses.

Well, he would make sure he ran into Charlene at the Founder's Party to apologize for his behavior.

* * *

Working at the Mystic Grill, so far, Charlene enjoyed it there. She liked most of her co-workers and they seemed to like her as well. The only co-worker Charlene had a problem with was Vicki. The youngest Donavan obviously despised her. She honestly had no idea why.

If anything, she should be the one who hated Vicki, but Charlene could never hate anyone, though she had good reasons to hate the young Donavan. Vicki was also Matt's sister, and Charlene loved Matt, still did even if he and Elena broke up. They were friend's way before he dated her sister. So, that wasn't going to change. Thus, Charlene couldn't hate Vicki. It wasn't her fault that she was so messed up.

Charlene saw Tyler and his parents enter the Grill and she tried to avoid them, but Carole saw her before she could.

"Charlene!" she greeted cheerfully.

She winced and moved over towards them, forcing a smile on her face. "Hi, Mrs. Lockwood." She nodded towards Tyler's father. "Hi, Mr. Lockwood."

He nodded at her as Carole pulled her into a hug. "It's been too long, Charlene. You never hang around anymore." She pulled back from the hug, smiling. "When did you start working here?"

"Oh, just for a couple weeks." Charlene answered, ignoring Tyler, who was staring at her.

"Well, that's great." Carole smiled again. "Please, don't be a stranger. You can come over anytime, you know that?"

Charlene smiled, but it was a fake one again. "Yeah, I know. It was nice seeing you, Mrs. Lockwood. Um…see you at the Founder's Party." She quickly left before they, especially Tyler, could say anything else.

At least she didn't have to take care of their table. They sat on Vicki's section. Charlene took care of a few customers, then saw Caroline and Bonnie sitting down. Maddie had already taken care of them, but she went over there to say hi.

"Hey guys." Charlene greeted.

Caroline beamed at her. "Hey, Char!"

"Hi." Bonnie smiled. "Oh, and Megan says hi."

Charlene smiled back and nodded. "Where is she anyway?"

"Hanging out with Stefan." Bonnie answered.

Charlene smirked, amused. "Why am I not surprised?"

Bonnie changed the subject. "By the way, Char, are you going with anyone to the Founder's Party?"

"No."

"Would you care to go with me?" Bonnie asked, hopefully. Charlene was definitely surprised by this. "I would go with Elena, but she's taking Matt."

Again, Charlene was taken aback. "What? Really?"

"Yeah, but just as friends, and Caroline…" Bonnie tossed a frown in the other's blonde direction. "Is going with Damon."

The mention of Damon made Charlene's body stiffen as she bit her bottom lip nervously. "Oh…"

"So, what do you say?"

Charlene shook it off and nodded with a smile. "Sure, that sounds good to me." It would definitely be better to go with a friend than a stupid guy.

Bonnie smiled in relief. "Good." Then she turned to Caroline. "Back to Damon though, is your mom okay with you bringing him?"

"And I'm supposed to care why?" Caroline retorted.

"He's older sexy danger guy." Bonnie responded, as if this was an answer enough.

Charlene stifled a laugh at Bonnie's description of Damon.

"Older sexy danger guy?" Caroline repeated, amused. "Is that an official witch twitter tweet?"

Bonnie didn't laugh. "No more witch jokes, okay?" she pleaded. "That whole Mr. Tanner prediction thing has me freaked."

Charlene looked at friend sympathetically, placing a hand on her best friend's sister's shoulder. Bonnie smiled up at her thankfully. Charlene had heard from Megan about what happened. After something like that, she would be freaked out too.

"Okay." Caroline went back to the subject of Damon, and Charlene wished it hadn't went back to that. "And Damon's not dangerous. You know, he just has a lot of issues with his brother." This part perked Charlene's interest. "You know, like major, deep-rooted issues."

"What do you mean?" Charlene asked her, sitting down in one of the free seats. She wasn't allowed to do this, but she needed to know what about whatever Caroline knew.

The question made her uncomfortable. "I'm not really supposed to say anything."

"Caroline Forbes, when have you ever kept a secret in your life?" Bonnie asked her.

"Okay." Caroline relented. "But you can't tell Megan."

"No." Bonnie agreed.

She shared a look with Charlene, which went unnoticed by Caroline. Charlene knew what the look was for. Whatever they learned from Caroline was going to go straight to Megan.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Family Ties, Part 2...**

 **Yeah, so I decided to Charlene to just go with Bonnie to the party, but don't worry, she's gonna wear a dress that's gonna knock Damon's socks off. ;) I'll also make sure we see a little bit of a jealous Damon. Anyway, please leave reviews and tell me what you thought of the first part of Family Ties! :D**


	10. Family Ties, Part 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the second part of Family Ties! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires. Please leave reviews!

* * *

After Caroline informed them of everything, Charlene grew even more distain for Damon Salvatore. Why was he trying to ruin his brother's relationship with her best friend? Did he really hate Stefan that much? Charlene couldn't imagine hating her siblings that much.

"Well, that's Damon side of the story." Charlene finally spoke up, unable to hide the anger she was feeling. "You can't really believe his side of the story, do you Care?"

Caroline stared for a moment before she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know…he was pretty convincing."

Charlene forced herself not to roll her eyes. "Just because what someone says is convincing, doesn't mean it's the truth, Caroline." Shaking her head, she stood up from the chair. "Besides, I trust Stefan and Megan trusts him too, that's all that matters." Done with this conversation, she changed it, turning to look at Bonnie. "I guess I'll see you and Megan at the house later?" They were meeting up at her and Elena's house to get ready for the party there.

Bonnie nodded. With that, she left to continue her shift, brushing by Tyler and Vicki. Thankfully, neither of them saw her, too busy with their conversation but Charlene took notice to Jeremy, who was watching them closely. She went over to check on him.

"Are you doing alright over here?" Charlene asked.

"Fine." He responded shortly. He was still mad at her for not say anything to Elena.

She sighed. "Look, earlier with Elena, there was nothing I could have done about that." She told him gently as she placed a hand on her brother's shoulder.

Jeremy shoved her hand off. "Still, that's mom and dad's stuff. It belongs to us, no one else."

Charlene said nothing for a moment. "I know and I might not been able to do anything about her loaning it to Mrs. Lockwood…but I did manage to get something…" At his confused look, she pulled out the pocket watch he had grabbed from their parents stuff. Slowly, he took it from her, then looked up at Charlene, the emotion clear in his eyes. She smiled softly. "I know you don't believe me when I tell you this, but I love you, Jer." With that, Charlene patted his shoulder one last time before she went off to go back to work before she got in trouble by her boss.

Before she knew it, her shift was over and she could finally go home. Charlene quickly got out of there, wanting to get home before Bonnie and Megan showed up. Earlier she had gotten her dress, so that was already taken care of.

On her way back home, she heard the familiar voice of Tyler calling out her name. Charlene groaned to herself. She should have known she wouldn't be able to avoid him forever. Charlene stopped and waited for him to catch up to her.

"What do you want?" she asked, sighing heavily.

"You've been avoiding me." Tyler responded bluntly as if she didn't know.

Charlene rolled her eyes. "Yes, and there's a reason for it." She turned back around and started walking again with Tyler right beside her.

"And what's that?"

She couldn't help roll her eyes again. "Because, I'm still mad at you for cheating on me with Vicki Donavan."

This time, Tyler rolled his eyes. "Come on, Charlie…"

Charlene quickly cut him off, glaring at him. "Don't call me that. You don't have the right to call me that anymore."

"Okay, sorry." Tyler rolled his eyes. "But seriously, Charlene, that happened months ago. You can't seriously still be that pissed off at me."

She snorted. "Well, I am."

Tyler grabbed her arm, causing her to stop walking. "Look, I'm sorry. Just forgive me."

Charlene roughly pulled her arm away. "No. And you continuing to push me, isn't going to make me forgive you anytime sooner." She walked away from him, but he still followed her. "Why are you following me?"

"We're going to the same place, so I thought we could go together." Tyler explained with a smirk. _Great, just my luck._ Charlene thought bitterly. "I'm picking up that stuff for my mom."

She stared hard at him for a moment before she sighed. "Fine, but don't talk to me."

"As you wish." Tyler agreed, using the line from one of her favorite movies, _the Princess Bride_ , and Charlene couldn't stop the smile from appearing on her face. He noticed, causing her to school her face with an uncaring look.

The walk seemed to drag by now with Tyler, thankfully, not talking to her. Soon, it was finally over. Charlene opened the door with a key. Jeremy must have been about to open the door because he was there when she did. He scowled at the sight of Tyler. Charlene had already gone through the door as Jeremy tried to close the door on Tyler.

The blonde sighed inwardly.

But Tyler stopped him from the closing it on him. "I'm here for my mom." He told him calmly. "I was supposed to pick up a box of stuff."

"He's telling the truth." Charlene confirmed as Elena showed up, holding the box.

"Right here." Her sister announced as she joined them at the front door. "Be careful with it." She warned, handing the box over to Tyler.

Jeremy stepped forward threateningly. "Yeah, be careful with it, dick."

Charlene spoke before Elena could say anything. "Jeremy, please, not now." she warned, placing a hand on his arm. She didn't like having to stick up for Tyler but after what happened last time with them, it was needed. Last thing they needed was a fight to start on the front porch.

"I'm fine." Tyler reassured. "He's just being a punk."

Jeremy's glare hardened. "I got your punk." Before

Elena cut in before this continued. "Look, Tyler, maybe you should go." Though it sounded like a suggestion, it was an order. "Tell your mom we'll see her tonight." She grabbed onto Charlene's hand as they left the boys, hopefully with them not killing each other. "Since you're here now, you can help me pick out a dress."

"Oh the joys of being a sister." Charlene said sarcastically, but she grinned in Elena's direction to show she was just teasing.

Her sister stuck her tongue out at her in response. Charlene laughed loudly.

* * *

While it was fun hanging out with Stefan, Megan was excited to have girl time with her favorite people. She loved going to these kind of parties, which was the opposite of Charlene. Her blonde best friend dreaded having to go to parties, especially ones like the Founder's Party. Unfortunately for her, she had to go because she was part of the Founding Families, so it wasn't like she had a choice.

"I hate going to these things." Charlene winced as Megan fixed her hair. They were in the blonde's bedroom getting ready while Elena and Bonnie were downstairs, trying to figure out what color nail polish to wear. "I know I _have to_ but still."

"I don't know why you hate it so much." Megan said cheerfully. "It's so much fun, the dancing, the people, and the outfits." That was her favorite part of it all, seeing what everyone was wearing.

"I just hate having to talk to people I don't even like." Charlene mumbled.

Megan pouted at her. "And here I thought I was your best friend." She pretended to cry.

"Oh, stop being so dramatic." Charlene rolled her eyes. However, she couldn't help but laugh.

Megan smiled in response, glad she could make her best friend laugh while doing something Charlene hated. Finally, she finished with Charlene's hair. It was now in a high bun with a few strands framing her face.

"There you go. All done." Megan smiled. "And you look beau-ti-ful." She giggled and Charlene laughed too.

"Thank you." There was silence for a moment before Charlene spoke up again, her tone was a little more serious and Megan was worried. "So, um, did Bonnie ever tell about what we learned about Stefan from Caroline?"

Megan shook her hand, frowning. "No, why? Did she tell you something?"

"Yeah…but it honestly doesn't matter what it was. She got the information from Damon."

This made Megan less worried. "Yeah." She agreed.

She wouldn't believe anything that Damon said about Stefan, so she honestly didn't want to know. Megan was glad Charlene told her and not Bonnie because her sister would have told her anyway, even if it did come from Damon Salvatore. Bonnie would only tell her because she didn't want her to get hurt.

"I wasn't even supposed to mention it to you, Caroline made me swear not to tell you, but you needed to know. Don't let her know I told you though, she'd kill me if you found out I told you."

Megan nodded. "Don't worry, I won't tell her." Just then, there was the sound of angry footsteps going up the steps, startling the two. "What…what was that?"

"I don't know…" Charlene muttered. "I'll go check…be right back."

As she left to go do that, Megan started on doing her hair, wondering what exactly Caroline told Charlene and Bonnie. It didn't really matter as it wouldn't change her mind about being with Stefan. It was going to take more than Damon sprouting stories to make her stop seeing him.

* * *

Charlene followed the noise into Jeremy's bedroom where Elena was, hands on her hips and glaring at their brother. Whatever was going on, the way her sister was standing, it wasn't a good thing.

Elena sounded angry when she spoke. "The pocket watch. Where is it?"

Charlene winced at the mention of it. Great…how did she find out about that?

A fake confused look appeared on Jeremy's face. "What watch?" he asked.

"The one you stole from mom's box," Elena snapped angrily. "Look, Mrs. Lockwood just called me, freaking out. It was on the list, Jeremy. And she can't find it, and she thinks she's the one who lost it."

"Elena, it's not Jer's fault." Charlene said, interrupting her siblings.

Jeremy shook his head as Elena looked back at her, confused. "Char, you don't have to." He looked at Elena, putting the glare back on his face. "Maybe she did lose it. Maybe Tyler took it."

"Don't even play that card, Jeremy." Elena scolded and Charlene winced, feeling bad that her sister was getting onto Jeremy when it wasn't his fault…but it was sweet he wanted to take the blame for her, which wasn't like him, at least nowadays it wasn't. "If I go online, am I going to find it on eBay?"

"Elena, wait." Her sister looked over at her and Charlene sighed heavily. "It's not Jeremy's fault. I was the one who took the watch and I gave it to Jeremy."

Elena stared at her in disbelief. "Char, why would you do that? You knew we had that on the list. And you gave it to him, knowing he could sell it."

Charlene winced. "I know, I'm sorry." Though she knew he wouldn't have sold it, it was too special to him to sell it.

Elena turned back to Jeremy and she scowled at him. "Did you sell it, Jer? Is that how you pay for your pot?"

He glared at her in response. "Screw you!" He crossed over to his bookshelf and pulled out the pocket watch from behind one of the books there before going back over to Charlene and Elena. He tangled the pocket watch in front of Elena. "I would never sell this okay?"

"Why did you give it to him?" Elena's question was directed towards Charlene.

"Because it's his, Elena." Charlene informed her.

Jeremy took over. "Dad said it goes to the first-born son." He told Elena angrily. "His father gave it to him, and now what?" He smacked the watch in Elena's open palm.

Elena felt bad immediately. "And he was going to give it to you…" she said, guilt in her tone as Charlene watched on sadly.

"Yeah…" Jeremy mumbled.

Her sister didn't say anything for a moment. "Look, Jeremy, it's still yours, okay?" she said. "Mom promised Mrs. Lockwood. What do you want me to do?"

"Just take it and get out." Jeremy growled, putting his headphones back on.

Elena sighed, then glanced at Charlene, before she left the room. Charlene hated this for her brother, but like Elena said, what could she do about it. Jeremy would get the watch back, so it wouldn't be gone forever. That didn't matter though, he wanted to keep it.

Charlene sighed as she gave her bother one last look before she left too, rejoining Megan back into the bedroom. She looked concerned.

"Is everything alright?" Megan asked. She wasn't in her robe anymore, but in her dress. Charlene didn't realize she was gone for that long.

She nodded. "Everything's fine…it's Jeremy." Megan smiled sympathetically as she eyed her dress. Her best friend wore a bright pink halter dress and the skirt went to her knees. It looked great on her. She had her hair done as well, it was curled up and now touched her shoulders, and she had a headband on with a pink rose on it, matching her dress. "You look amazing, Meg!" she complimented enthusiastically, forgetting about what happened with Jeremy for the time being.

Megan smiled brightly. "Thank you! Think Stefan will like it?"

"If he doesn't, he's crazy." Charlene giggled and her best friend giggled too.

Then Megan clapped her hands. "Okay! Now, let's get you in your dress!"

Charlene nodded in agreement.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Family Ties, Part 3...**

 **SO, here's a question for you guys, do you think that Charlene should find out about vampires earlier than Megan? It would be in the same episode where Megan finds out, but not in the same way because she'll be involved in the Damon and Vicki storyline. Would you guys like to see that? Let me know in your reviews? Anyway, please review and tell me what you thought! :D**


	11. Family Ties, Part 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the last part of Family Ties! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires. Please leave reviews!

* * *

Megan arrived at the Lockwood mansion, on the arm of Stefan. She had a great big smile on her face. She was happy to be here, then again, she was always happy even when the moment didn't call for it. Megan squeezed Stefan's arm as she scooted closer to him while they went through the crowd that was heading towards the front door.

"Thanks for coming with me, Stefan." She told her boyfriend brightly.

He smiled, kissing the side of her head. "No trouble at all, I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

"Good to know." Megan beamed at him as she looked around the beautiful area. She had always loved the Lockwood mansion because it was just gorgeous out here. "This definitely won't be the last party here in Mystic Falls. It's crazy to me how many we have, but I love it, unlike Charlene. She hates going to these things. If she wasn't part of the Founding families, she wouldn't even be going to it." Megan laughed, and Stefan smiled as they finally made it up the steps of the mansion, meeting up with Carole Lockwood who was waiting by the doors. "Hi Mrs. Lockwood." She greeted cheerfully. "How are you?"

Carole smiled at her. "I'm doing well. How about you?"

"Can't complain." Megan smiled back widely, her dimples showing.

"Good, good." Then Carole gestured inside. "Well, come on in."

Stefan nodded, letting Megan go in first with his hand on the small of her back. "Thank you." He told Mrs. Lockwood before following her inside.

"Let's find Char and Elena, they should already be here." Megan said as she grabbed Stefan's hand. "Hopefully, or we'll be looking for them for no reason." She giggled. Her boyfriend nodded and kissed her on the cheek before letting her lead him around.

* * *

Away from Caroline for the time being, Damon surveyed the area as he looked for Charlene. He had seen Megan come in with Stefan, so the blonde wouldn't be far away from her best friend.

…and she wasn't that hard to find.

His mouth dropped open, and for the first time, he was lost for words. Charlene stood by the bar, chatting and smiling with multiple people there. His eyes trailed over her form as he took her all in.

Her dress was all black and form-fitting, showing off all her curves. It also showed a good amount of cleavage as the dress was low cut, but not low enough where her breasts would fall out of them. Charlene looked gorgeous to say the least and again, he couldn't help but be reminded of Abigail. He knew that she wasn't her…but it was hard to remember that when Charlene looked so much like her.

As if she could feel him watching her, she glanced over at him. However, she didn't look happy to see him. After what happened, he couldn't blame her. Damon met her glare with a smirk, trying to make it seem that he wasn't just ogling her like a fresh piece of meat.

Charlene turned her head away to talk to a young man, who had just came up to her. She smiled at him and gave him a hug. Slight jealousy tugged at Damon at the sight of this. This was the last thing he wanted to see today. Not once looking at him, Charlene left with the man as Caroline bounced over to him.

* * *

Megan, along with Stefan, managed to find Elena, but Charlene was no one in sight. The brunette was gazing down at her parent's wedding rings. Concerned, Megan let go of Stefan's hand and went over to best friend's sister.

"Elena, you alright?" she asked her softly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Elena reassured, still staring at the rings fondly. "There's a lot of history here."

Megan nodded sympathetically. "I know." She patted her on the shoulder before wrapping her arm around Elena. "This is her parents stuff." She informed Stefan, who nodded and smiled sadly. "Where's Charlene anyway?"

"She's around here somewhere."

Megan figured she was probably getting a drink and would join up with them soon. She stayed around Elena, just so the brunette would have someone there. Charlene appeared finally after a couple hours, still looking radiant in her black dress.

"Hello Charlene." Stefan greeted politely.

She smiled, brushing one of the strands of hair behind her ear. "Hi Stef."

"Char, don't mess up your hair." Megan whined as she put the strands of her hair back in place. "I worked hard on it."

Her best friend gently smacked her hand away. "Megan, stop, I won't mess it up."

"You better not." Megan warned with a small pout while Stefan and Elena shared amused looks. Just then, something caught her hair. "Hey, what's this?"

Elena moved over to where she was looking at. "Oh! That's the original guest registry for the first Founder's party."

"Wow, that's cool." Megan said in awe, her fingers traced the names. "Look at all the names on here. She began reading the names as Elena and Charlene gathered around her. Stefan stayed off to the side. "Sheriff William Forbes, Major Benjamin…" The next two names took Megan by surprise. "Is that Damon Salvatore? And, Stefan Salvatore?" She looked at Stefan, taken aback.

Before anything else could be said, the sound of Damon's voice sounded as he showed up with Caroline by his side and Megan noticed Charlene glaring at him. Mm…what was that about?

"The Original Salvatore brothers." Damon explained, and it made sense in Megan's mind. "Our ancestors. Tragic story actually."

Stefan cut in, "We don't need to bore them with stories from the past."

"It wouldn't be boring." Megan disagreed. "I'd love to know more about your family, Stefan." She didn't know much about him. Sure, it would be great to hear it from him and not Damon, but it was hard to get Stefan to open up by himself.

"Well, I'm bored." Caroline stated, rather rudely as she crossed her arms across her chest. "I want to dance. And Damon…" She pouted in his direction. "Won't dance with me."

He barely spared her a glance, staring at Charlene, who was still glaring at him, with a smirk. Megan had never seen her best friend glare that much before. Whatever Damon did, Charlene was pissed at him.

"Mm-hmm." The older Salvatore nodded.

Caroline looked over at Megan. "Could I borrow your date?" she asked.

Megan didn't care for the idea, but she said, "Ask Stefan. That's up to him." At that, the other blonde stared at her boyfriend hopefully.

"I don't really dance." Stefan responded awkwardly.

"Oh, sure he does." Damon said, smirking at his brother now. "You should see him. "Waltz, the jitterbug, the moonwalk. He does it all."

"You wouldn't mind, would you, Megan?" Caroline asked her again.

She stared at her. "Like I said, it's up to Stefan if he wants to or not." She didn't want to be the girlfriend that didn't let him do anything. Though, Stefan looked like he didn't want to.

"Well, sorry, I'm not gonna take no for an answer." Caroline told him with a grin, grabbing his arm to drag him out of the room.

Megan shook her head as she turned towards Elena. "Hey, since Caroline stole my date, how about we go dance?"

Elena gave her a grin. "Sounds good to me." She looked over at Charlene. "Will you be okay by yourself?"

Charlene stopped glaring at Damon to look over at her sister. "Yeah, of course. Go have fun."

Megan smiled, grabbing Elena's hand. "Let's go!" she cheered. Before she left with Elena, she kissed Charlene on the cheek. Afterwards, she went off with her best friend's sister, leaving her alone with Damon.

* * *

Ugh, great. Now, she was alone with him.

Charlene wanted to leave right then and there. Before she could even think about doing it, he grabbed her arm.

"Look, I want to apologize for being such a…"

"Asshole?" Charlene suggested, tugging her arm away with a glare. "Yeah, you were."

Damon sighed heavily. "I didn't mean to call you Abigail…but still, I wanted to apologize of it. I know you're not her. There's no excuse for it."

"There isn't." she agreed.

"My therapist says I'm…acting out, trying to punish Stefan." Charlene had no idea what that had to do with calling her Abigail, but she didn't ask that. This would be the perfect opportunity to find out why Damon hated his brother so much, that is if he gave it away. So, she asked as she met his gaze, this time not glaring at him.

"For what?"

He didn't give her a direct answer. "It's all in the past." He told her. "Let's just say the men in the Salvatore family have been cursed with sibling rivalry. And it all started with the original Salvatore brothers."

"So what?" Charlene asked, startling Damon. "Just because your ancestors got caught into that, doesn't mean that you guys had to. You could have chosen to be better. You can't just use that as an excuse." He actually looked speechless, and she smirked internally, proud of herself.

Finally, Damon spoke. "True, but that's easier said than done." He said softly, and Charlene could agree with that. "Anyway, the Salvatore name was practically royalty in this town. Until the war. There was battle here…"

"Yeah, I know. It was the Battle of Willow Creek, right?" Charlene figured before he said the words.

He nodded, taken back. "Yeah."

"Don't look too surprised, I know my history." She told him, rolling her eyes. "I'm not some dumb blonde, thank you very much. Besides, we talked about it at school. Confederate soldiers fired on the church with civilians inside."

"What the history books left out was the people that were killed." Damon told her and she titled her head to the side, wondering what it was. She didn't have to wonder for long. "They weren't there by accident. They were believed to be union sympathizers. So some of the founders on the confederacy side back then wanted them rounded up and burned alive. Damon and Stefan had two someone's they loved very much in that church."

"Who was in the church they wanted to save?" Charlene questioned.

"A woman, I guess. Doesn't it always come down to the love of a woman?" He stared at her intensely.

Charlene forced herself not to blush. "Okay, look, Damon." She started to say. "I know you and Stefan have problems…but I don't want to be involved in it and neither does Megan, and if you bring her into it, then you're gonna have me to deal with. I might not look like much, but if you or Stefan hurt my best friend, I'll make sure you guys pay for it." Her voice was hard throughout her speech, but it softened as she went on, "I do hope you guys can work it out…and let the curse end with you and Stefan."

"I hope so, too." For the first time, Charlene believed him. "I have a question though…would the kiss have continued if I hadn't said her name?" His usual smirk reappeared on his face.

Luckily, Charlene didn't have time to answer because Elena showed up and dragged her away. If she had time, she would know the answer, of course it would have. But she wasn't going to make the same mistake again by kissing him.

* * *

Megan left Elena once Matt showed up, so they could dance together, and she went to go from Stefan to save him from the wrath of Caroline Forbes. She found him with the blonde as Damon showed up as well, making her wonder what happened with Charlene. She wasn't gonna ask because she knew her best friend would tell her later.

"What did we miss?" Damon asked as Megan went to stand beside him.

Stefan gave him a calm smile. "We were just chatting." He titled a drink towards his brother. "Drink Damon?"

He smiled back, tightly. "No, thanks, I'll pass."

Megan decided to speak up then. "If he won't take it, I will." She said with a grin, taking her boyfriend's drink so she could drink the rest of it. She handed the empty glass to Caroline before she looked at Stefan, holding out her hand. "So, Mr. Salvatore, do you have another dance in you?"

He smiled at her, slipping his large hand into hers. "Absolutely."

Megan smiled widely at him as she let him lead her onto the dance floor. His hands slid to her waist and her arms looped around his neck as they moved along with the music. There was silence for a bit until Megan broke it.

"So, about Demetria…" She honestly didn't want to mention his old lover, but she didn't know much about her and wanted to know. She felt him tense against her, however, it didn't stop her from continuing. "What happened to her?"

"It's not something I like to talk about."

"I understand…but I did tell you all about what happened with my last boyfriend, that was hard for me to talk about but it made me feel better." Megan said softly. "I just want you to know that you can do the same. There won't be any judgement."

"I know. Thank you." Stefan nodded, and didn't say anything else.

She let out a sigh. "Because honestly, Stefan. I don't know much about you and I just…I just want you to open up to me, like I've been open to you. I don't think that's too much to ask."

He said nothing for a moment. "Damon said something, didn't he?" Stefan accused as they stopped dancing and he stepped back from her. She opened her mouth to say something but he didn't let her speak. "He likes to play games and cause trouble, Megan."

"This has nothing to do with Damon, Stefan." Megan rose her voice a little, for the first time. "I don't believe anything that comes out of his mouth. What it does have to do with is me wanting to get to know you, I don't know why it has to be this hard to get you to open up to me. And this thing with Demetria…"

Stefan interrupted. "Let it go." He said stiffly. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Then, tell me something! Anything…favorite color, favorite food, favorite Nicolaus Sparks movie! I don't care what, just open up to me!" Megan wasn't angry, just frustrated. Frustrated that he wouldn't let her in.

Again he thought Damon had something to do with this. "Don't you see what Damon's done here? He's trying to turn you against me."

Megan glared at him. "The only one who's doing that is you!" she retorted. Before she started screaming to let out her frustration, she stormed off the dance floor.

She ended up going to the powder room to be alone, so she could calm down. She didn't mean to snap at Stefan like that but if he wasn't going to open up to her, what kind of relationship could they have? Megan wiped her eyes as Charlene and Elena came into the room.

"Are you alright, Meg?" Her best friend asked concerned. "I saw what happened with Stefan."

Megan wiped her eyes again. "I'm fine…just frustrated…" she sighed. "I didn't mean to snap at him like that…I'm just frustrated because he's not opening up to me. I tried to ask about Demetria…about what happened to her but he wouldn't budge…"

"Maybe it's hard for him to talk about." Elena said gently as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I know it is…but like I told him…I just want to know _something_ about him."

"I get it." Charlene assured her. "I'd feel the same way."

Megan sighed as Caroline came in. "Hey." She forced a smile at her.

"Hey." She crossed over to the mirror. "So, how are things with Stefan?" she asked casually, even though she already knew how it was going.

"It's going fine…just fine." Megan said, hoping she sounded convincing enough.

"Really? Well, my radar must be off, because I was getting all sorts of vibes." Caroline told her as she fixed up her lipstick. In the process, the wrap slid away from her shoulder, revealing this large bite mark. Megan's eyes went wide, so did Charlene and Elena's.

"What is that?" Elena decided to speak first, horror in her voice.

"Mm…" Elena began trying to see the bite marks. "Don't!" Caroline exclaimed. It was too late because Elena had already seen them.

Elena looked at the bites in disbelief. "Oh my god, Caroline, what happened?"

"Nothing okay?" Caroline cried, pulling away from Elena. "That is nothing!"

"Did someone hurt you?" Elena demanded.

"No, okay, nothing!" Caroline said loudly returning to look at the mirror. "It's just…" She looked at Elena, Charlene and Megan, fear in her eyes and her face. Megan had never seen Caroline this scared before. "It's just…my mom would kill me."

Instead of Elena looking this time, Charlene was the one who pulled down Caroline's white cover off her shoulder, revealing an even bigger bite mark. "Did Damon do this to you?" she demanded. Her voice was low, and dangerous.

"No, of course not," Caroline denied. The fear grew even more at the mention of Damon, and her body started shaking, so Megan knew she was lying. Elena tried to look to see if there was any more but the blonde jerked away from her. "Just leave me alone, okay, Elena!" She hurried out of the powder room

Elena stormed out of the room, angrily. Charlene was about to follow her sister, but hesitated looking at Megan.

"Go, I'll be fine!" she reassured her. Her best friend nodded and she raced out of there.

* * *

Charlene managed to catch up to Elena as she ran outside and pushed Damon hard in the chest, startling him.

"There is something seriously wrong with you!" she yelled, glaring at him. "You stay away from Caroline or I will go straight to her mother, the Sheriff! You got it? You stay away from her!" She didn't let him get a word in as she was gone before he could.

Charlene was about to chase after her sister, but Damon grabbed her arm. She roughly pulled her arm away.

"Don't touch me!" she hissed. "I told you that I wasn't going to let you hurt my friends. And that includes Caroline, she doesn't deserve to be treated like shit by you! So, if you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from her and from me." With those last words, she chased after her sister, missing the peeved off look on Damon's face.

* * *

After calming down, Megan managed to track Stefan down. He was outside, and he looked relieved to see her.

"Megan…"

She smiled weakly. "Hi…look, I'm sorry. I just got frustrated. But that's not what I wanted to tell you, well it was, but that's not it. You need to do something about your brother." Her lips slipped into a thin angry line.

"What did he do?"

"There are bruises all over Caroline's body. Bite marks, and he's got her all confused…and frightened…and…" Megan trailed off at the unsurprised look on Stefan's face. "You don't look surprised."

He looked guilty. "Um…I'm handling it."

"Handing it?!" Megan looked at him in disbelief. "You call not calling the police on him, handling it?!"

"Megan, please…" he begged and tried to reach towards her. She flinched away from him so he stopped. "I…I don't expect you to understand…"

She just stared at him, still with a look of disbelief on her face as she shook her head. She didn't know what to say. Megan knew the feeling of wanting to protect her family, but this…yeah, Stefan was right about one thing. She didn't understand.

"Sure right, I don't." Megan agreed. "So, do me a favor and clear it up for me?"

"Look, there are things that you don't know, okay? Things that I want to tell you, but I can't. I may never be able to. And I just need you to trust me." Stefan pleaded with her.

She said nothing for a moment. "That's the thing, Stefan. I did trust you…but now…I don't think I can anymore. Not with you keeping secrets from me."

He looked pained for a moment. Tears welled up in her eyes as he finally spoke.

"I'm so sorry…" Stefan told her softly. "I got to go."

Giving her one last look, he hurried off and Megan stared after him, tears in her eyes.

* * *

Later that night after everyone was gone from the Lockwood mansion, Mrs. Lockwood, Sheriff Liz Forbes, Logan Fell, and Mr. Lockwood were all gathered in the council room.

Mr. Lockwood cleared his throat. "Thank you for staying so late."

"Did you get the Gilbert watch?" Liz questioned, looking at Carole Lockwood.

She shook her head, frowning. "She claims it's still in her parents' things."

Logan Fell spoke up from his spot on the nearby couch. "I can get it." He informed Sheriff Forbes.

"Good." Liz said, nodding as she glanced at Logan for a moment before she looked around at everyone else in the room. "We're going to need it."

"Are you sure?" Mr. Lockwood questioned to make sure.

Liz nodded with a serious look on her face. "5 bodies drained of blood? I'm certain."

"They've come back."

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **You're Undead to Me, Part 1...**

 **Lots of drama happening in this last part of Family Ties! And there's gonna be even more, next episode. Cause Charlene and Megan find out about Damon and Stefan being vampires! Exciting, isn't it? :D I'm excited to start writing it but now I'm going to bed! Night guys and please leave review! Until next time on Surviving Vampires 101! :)**


	12. You're Undead to Me, Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the first part of You're Undead to Me! ! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires. Please leave reviews!

* * *

Charlene finally was able to get a decent night sleep without any dreams or nightmares. So, she woke up with a smile on her face as she stretched her body, her feet bumping into the person who was in bed with her. It was Megan, she hadn't wanted to go home after the party was over, so she had been staying the night over at Charlene's house for the past couple days. Charlene understood. After what happened with Stefan, she didn't blame her best friend for needing comfort.

Yeah, Megan could have gotten it from her sister, but it just wouldn't be the same. Speaking of the younger Salvatore, Stefan hadn't been in contact with Megan at all. The last time she heard from him was at the founder's party, which had just been a couple days ago. Anyone would have thought that Megan shouldn't be upset about it, especially after what happened between them, but Charlene knew Megan better than anyone. So, it made sense that she would be.

Being careful not wake up Megan, Charlene climbed out of bed before going over to her drawers to pull out a pair of sleep shorts. She slipped them on, then she headed out of the bedroom to use the restroom. Charlene opened the door to the bathroom and was in for the shock of her life, something that one didn't want so early in the morning. Vicki Donavan was using the restroom, brushing her teeth. She paused as Charlene gaped at her, eyes wide. Pulling the toothbrush away, Vicki rolled her eyes.

"Do you Gilbert girls ever knock?" she asked in annoyance. This made Charlene realize that Elena must have walked in on her too.

"Sorry…" the blonde muttered, embarrassed as she closed the door. So much for no nightmares. After she used the other restroom, she headed downstairs where Elena and Jenna were gathered in the kitchen. Elena saw the look her face.

"You too?" her sister asked, and she knew what Elena meant.

Charlene nodded. "Yep. That's gonna give me nightmares for days!" Maybe that was bit overdramatic, but the point still stands. Elena smiled into her cup of coffee in response. "Did you know she was here?" She asked Jenna, moving over to pour herself her own cup of coffee.

"Yeah, he didn't do a good job hiding it." Her aunt joked.

This made Charlene snort. "I bet…" she muttered.

Jenna laughed, then changed the subject. "Oh, and just so you know, I won't be home for dinner."

Elena grinned at her teasingly. "Oh? So, you're actually going to do it. You're going out with Logan."

Charlene looked surprised. This was news to her. "Are you serious?" she asked her aunt.

"I'm going to show up and torture him, yes." Charlene knew that was a bad idea, but she couldn't tell her that she couldn't go. Her aunt was an adult, so she could do whatever she wanted to do.

Just then, Megan bounced down the stairs and came into the kitchen, actually smiling. It actually took all of them by surprise, considering how depressed she was the past couple days.

"Morning!" Megan chirped.

"You look like you're feeling better." Jenna commented as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

Megan grinned up at her. "Yep, much better now."

"Did Stefan finally call?" Charlene questioned, thinking that was why she was so happy.

Her grin fell at this, and the blonde winced at the sight as she regretted even mentioning Stefan.

"No." Megan said quietly. "Not since he left that very vague message three days ago." Charlene's mouth made a 'o' shape, now remembering her best friend mentioning that. "'He was like, 'Hi, um, Meg, I, um, have something I have to do. I'll, uh, explain in a few days."

Charlene stifled a laugh. She did a good Stefan impression.

"Haven't you called him?" Jenna asked.

"No, and I'm not going to. If he really does want to call, then he will. When the thing with Josh happened, I called him and called him to get him to talk to me, so I'm not gonna make the same mistake with Stefan." Megan sighed heavily, then she shook her head before she brought the smile back to her face. "And you know what, I decided that this time, I'm not going to be one of those girls who has their world crash down, just because some guy isn't paying them any attention."

This was definitely a different reaction that she had with Josh. She was depressed for weeks and weeks, barely even talking to anyone, not even Charlene. So, she was glad that Megan was reacting to this differently.

"That's good." Elena spoke first.

"I'll be just fine." Megan stated.

Charlene was sure she would be as she smiled and patted her best friend on the shoulder. "Good, I'm glad. I was worried about you."

She smiled, looking over at her. "I know. Thank you for being there for me."

"Of course! What are best friends for?"

Megan responded the same way as she always did when Charlene asked this question. "Hell if I know."

Now, she was positive Megan would be just fine.

* * *

Though she meant every word of what she told her friends and Jenna, Megan couldn't stop herself from looking around for Stefan at school. He was nowhere in sight. Megan sighed in disappointment as she stood with Elena, Charlene, and Bonnie at Elena's locker. In the process of looking for Stefan, she spotted Caroline passing out flyers.

It was for the annual fundraiser the cheerleading team threw every year and with her being the head cheerleader, Caroline was in charge of the whole thing. Of course, she decided on doing a car wash, a sexy suds car wash as she called it. The rest of the cheerleaders agreed with it too.

Megan did as well. She was actually supposed to be helping Caroline hand out the flyers, but the thing with Stefan made her not want to help. She had been pissed off about it until the rest of the cheerleaders decided to help out.

"The sexy suds car wash is tomorrow." Caroline said cheerfully to the cheerleaders as she handed out the flyers to the students. "The football team and the band have committed. Well, not all of the band. Just the ones who could pull off the bikini." She giggled. "I want, in your face, sexy. I mean, it's a fundraiser for god's sake."

Elena shook her head, watching her in disbelief. "Unbelievable." She muttered. "It's like nothing happened."

"She's in denial." Bonnie said.

Charlene nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but I can't say I blame her. After what happened with Damon…" Her face darkened as she mentioned Stefan's brother name. "I think anyone would pretend nothing happened."

"Yeah, Stefan's brother is one sick individual."

As those words left her mouth, Stefan walked up to the group, looking as handsome as ever. Megan had forgotten how gorgeous he was. Though she had been on the lookout for him, she never figured out what she was going to say to him.

"Hey." Stefan greeted softly, meeting Megan's eyes as she bit her bottom lip, still not knowing what to say.

"Hey." Bonnie greeted back, seeing that she wasn't saying anything. There was a pause for a moment. "You know, I gotta go…be somewhere right now."

"Yeah, me too." Elena agreed as she grabbed Char's arm. "Remember that thing we needed to take care of?"

Charlene looked at her, confused for a moment before she nodded. "Oh right! I forgot about that, let's go." The blonde let Elena drag her away but not before, she mouthed to Megan, _'Tell me what happens.'_ With that, the Gilbert sisters left along with Bonnie, leaving Megan and Stefan alone.

They stood there awkwardly, not saying anything for a few minutes. Those were the longest minutes of Megan's life. Finally, Stefan spoke up.

"I'm so sorry I haven't called." He told her.

"Don't worry about, it wasn't the end of the world." Megan said, trying to sound like she didn't care.

If it didn't work, Stefan didn't act like it did. "I was dealing with Damon."

Megan rose her eyebrows at him, not believing that for even a second. "And it took you four days to do that?"

He sighed. "You have every right to be angry with me. But can I explain it all to you." Megan hesitated. "Please." He sounded desperate and her defenses broke down.

"Alright, fine." She agreed softly. "When?"

Stefan smiled in relief as he fixed his backpack over his shoulder. "I gotta be home after school, but the Grill, around four o'clock?"

Megan nodded. "Okay…sounds alright to me."

She didn't say anything else to him while she brushed by him to go down the hall. Megan didn't walk by herself for long as Charlene caught up to her.

"Meg, what happened?" she questioned immediately.

"Nothing yet…he said he's gonna explain what's going on when we go to the Grill at four." Megan explained.

Charlene stayed silent as she spoke. "So…did he say anything about Damon?"

"Why?"

She looked away. "No reason…" she muttered.

Megan stared at her, not saying anything for a moment. "He didn't say much…just that he had Damon taken care, that's why I haven't heard from him."

"For four days?" Charlene asked the same question she did, in a disbelieving tone.

"I said the same thing, but like I said, he said he was going to explain." Megan shrugged. "And hopefully he does…and hopefully he tells what he's been keeping from me."

"I hope so too."

So after school, Megan headed over to the Grill and waited for Stefan. Four o'clock came and went and he still hadn't showed up. She wasn't upset the first hour, but as the hours passed, the more pissed off she became. Megan couldn't believe he did this to her. Finally giving up, she stood up from the table and grabbed her purse. Before she could leave, Stefan showed up. The sight of him made her angry.

"I'm so sorry I'm late."

"You've been saying you're sorry a lot lately, but you're doing a damn good job at not showing it." Megan said, barely containing her anger.

"I'm sorry…you're right…but I got held up."

Megan let out a calming breath. It helped but not by much. Megan managed to speak without yelling.

"Well, what happened?"

"There was this thing with my uncle."

Her anger deflated after that. "Then why didn't you call me?" she asked softly. "I would have understood if you had called and told me that. I understand the importance of family. If anything happened to Bonnie, I would blow someone off too."

"I didn't mean to blow you off, Megan." Stefan assured her. "But it was unavoidable."

"And what was unavoidable?" He didn't answer and she sighed sadly. "Okay…" She moved past Stefan, but she didn't get very far.

"Oh, uh, Megan, please." He tried.

She whirled around, glaring at him. "No, Stefan. Do you honestly don't get it? You never open up to me and every single answer you give me, is a vague response. I just want you to be with honest with me. And seriously, what is so awful that you're so afraid to tell me?" Then she softened her glare. "Whatever it is, you can tell me. I can handle it."

Before he could say anything, an old man came up to Stefan, staring at him like he had seen a ghost. "I know you. My God." He breathed.

Megan's eyes furrowed in confusion as Stefan stared at him, just as confused as she was.

"I'm sorry?" He echoed.

"I know you…" The old man shook his head in disbelief. "How can it be?"

"I think you have the wrong person, sir."

In response, the man just shook her head again. "You haven't aged a day."

"I'm sorry. Excuse me." Stefan walked towards Megan. "Hey, can we…can I take you home and we can talk about it? Is that okay?" He tried to push her towards the door, but Megan pulled away from me.

She shook her head. "No, we can't. Not until you tell me what that was about?" She tried yet again to get him to tell her.

"I – I don't know, uh, nothing."

Again, he didn't give her what she wanted. "Right, sure, it was nothing." Megan said sarcastically. Stefan sighed, looking pained. Her heart clenched at the sight of it, but she pushed her feelings away. "Bye, Stefan."

She left him standing there alone. Megan had tried to stay strong all day, but this was the last straw. So, she didn't bother wiping away the tears that slipped down her cheeks.

* * *

Charlene was on the couch in the living room, watching Friends while waiting for Megan to call her with the update on what happened with Stefan at the Grill.

When she called, her best friend was in tears. As soon as she told her what happened, Charlene immediately turned on the TV and went to leave the house. She opened the door to leave only to find Stefan on the other side. In response, Charlene tried to shut the door but he stopped it with his foot.

"Wait Charlene…" Stefan tried. He sounded so desperate that Charlene felt bad for him, even though she shouldn't. Not after how he treated Megan.

She sighed and pulled open the door again. "What?"

"I need your help with Megan. I know I messed up with her." Stefan said, adding in the last part when she gave him a look of disbelief. "But I have to make it up to her, can you help me please?"

Charlene stared at him, debating on it. She shouldn't help. He had hurt her best friend but she liked Stefan and she wanted it to work out between him and Megan.

"Alright, I'll help you." He was about to thank her, but then she cut him off. "Don't make me regret it."

"You won't." Stefan promised.

She pursed her lips and sighed. "Okay, come in, and I'll tell you what you have to do…"

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **You're Undead to Me, Part 2**

 **Man, I love how many chapters I'm getting out for this story! Even though I'm not getting many reviews on this, I'm having fun writing this story. This episode is going a lot better than it did on Surviving in the World of Vampires. The chapter might be boring but the next part is gonna be a lot more entertaining, I think, especially with the girls finding out about vampires. Both in _very_ different ways. Anywaaay, please don't be shy and leave reviews! I love receiving and reading them, so please don't hesitate to leave one! Until next time then!**


	13. You're Undead to Me, Part 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the second part of You're Undead to Me! ! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires. Please leave reviews!

* * *

After returning home from the Grill, Megan went back to her bed and rested over the covers, staring blankly into space. She had started the day off good, but now, she was upset all over again. Megan hated being angry at Stefan. Of course, she did have good reason to be mad at him. She still hated it though. The silence of the room was broken at the sound Charlene's voice.

"Megan?"

She turned so she was laying on her back as she moved to sit up. "Hey…" she said quietly.

"How are you doing?" Charlene asked her softly. She headed over to the bed and climbed on top of it, resting next to her. Megan just sighed in response as she laid her head on Charlene's shoulder. This made her best friend giggled a bit. "I'll take that as not doing well?"

"Yeah…" Megan sighed again.

Charlene said nothing for a moment. "Hey, want to know what will make you feel better?"

Megan lifted her head. "What?" At this point, she didn't know if anything could make her feel better.

"My famous pancakes."

Those words made her perk up immediately. Okay, she was wrong! "Ooh, I'd love that!"

Charlene burst out laughing. "Knew that would work!" She winked at her cheekily as she got out of bed. "Come on."

Megan nodded, enthusiastically. She bounced after her best friend as they headed downstairs and into the kitchen. Megan entered the kitchen first and she stopped in her tracks, startled at the sight of Stefan standing in her kitchen.

"Stefan?" She definitely didn't expect him to be here. "What are you doing here?"

"Dinner." He answered, grinning slightly as he chopped up some food. "Charlene told me that Chicken Parmesan was one of your favorite." Megan glanced at her best friend, who winked at her before she took off out the door, leaving her alone with Stefan. Though she said nothing, he still went on, "And I happen to be a good cook. The Italian roots demand it. I can even make my own homemade mozzarella. Only tonight, it is unfortunately store bought. Sorry."

Megan thought it was very sweet he was cooking her dinner and her heart swooned a bit. However, she had to put her foot down. She was still mad at him for the way he had been treating her.

"This is very sweet of you, Stefan." Megan started. "But…" He didn't let her finish.

"You want to know me, right?" Stefan asked, though it was a rhetorical question, because he already knew the answer to it. "Well, I figure if you're going to dump me, you should at least, um, know who you're dumping. So let's start with Demetria."

When he mentioned her, Megan shook her head. "Stefan, you don't have to..."

He ignored her as he continued to speak. "She was…the most beautiful girl that I had ever met." While he talked, Megan moved closer to him, listening intently. "She had this perfect porcelain skin. I mean, her laugh made you laugh. And she was fun. She knew how to have a good time…and she was always so happy, it was infectious. Her smile never left her face." Hearing him speak of his old girlfriend, Megan couldn't help but feel jealous. Demetria sounded perfect. "But…Demetria was also very impatient and entitled and selfish, and, um impulsive."

Megan was so happy he was finally opening up to her and it didn't stop there. It kept on going. He never really mentioned either Katherine, or Abigail, but she was only wanting to know stuff about him, so it didn't matter. Megan couldn't help but feel closer to him, now knowing things about him, even the little things, like he was telling her right now.

"I'm an avid reader, a huge Fitzgerald fan, 'The Great Gatsby,' his masterpiece." He told her with a grin and Megan grinned back, unable to help it at all. He sounded so enthusiastic about it. "But I'm not a snob."

Megan nudged him in the side. "I never said you were, but now that I think about…" she trailed off, teasingly.

Stefan rolled his eyes playfully, nudging her back before he went on, "I love some good Grisham. I think _'Seinfeld'_ is the best American television show for the past 50 years, but _'I Love Lucy'_ is all time. _'The loving cup'_ episode was the best, I think. Huge Scorsese fan. I can watch _'Taxi Driver'_ over and over again."

"Never seen it." Megan told him, and he looked surprised, then he smiled.

"Then maybe we can watch it sometime?" Stefan suggested hopefully.

"I'd love that." Megan smiled back softly. As soon as he started telling her about Demetria, she knew she had forgiven him. Stefan's smile grew in response. "Can I?" she asked, gesturing over to what he was doing, which was cutting up some garlic. In response, he handed her the knife and she took over the chopping.

"As far as music, it's pretty much across the board." Stefan informed her. "Um Dylan, Hendrix, Pasty, Willie. A little Kanye."

"Nice."

"And you know what? I even like that one Miley song."

Megan burst out laughing at that. ""Party in the USA,' huh?" she figured. It was one of those songs anyone could enjoy, even big strong men.

"How'd you guess?"

"I might not look it, but I am smart, so it wasn't too hard to figure out." Megan smirked. "But no judgement here. Can't blame you. So…is this for the garlic bread? Cause, I'm not eating it unless you do?" She grinned.

"Are you kidding? I love garlic."

Her grin widened. "Good, I do too." She wasn't paying attention when she cut next and ended up slicing her finger. "Ah…" she gasped, then she whimpered. "Fuck…" She didn't notice Stefan tensing up.

"You okay?"

"Yeah…I'm fine." Megan muttered, wincing as she headed over to the sink to wash the blood off her hand. It made it feel tons better. As she washed her hands, she looked up at the window and saw Stefan's face transforming. Her eyes went wide. "Stefan, your face…"

He quickly turned around. "I – I, uh, I think I got something in my eye."

Megan immediately didn't believe him as she went over to him and managed to turn him away. His face was back to normal. Megan knew what she had saw but also knew it was impossible for someone's face to change like that. She shook her head.

"Must have been imagining it…" she mumbled. "I think I'm going crazy, or well, I kind of already am."

"Yeah, but it's part of your charm." Megan smiled up at him at that. He looked like he wanted to kiss her, but he hesitated. Good thing, she wasn't as she stood up on her tiptoes and brought him down for a kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. She was so happy he finally opened up to her, and it finally felt like everything was going to be okay. If only she had known what was going to happen tomorrow.

* * *

The next day, it was time for the sexy suds car wash, and Charlene hadn't been looking forward to it since she would have to wear a bikini. Something she wasn't comfortable with wearing, but she didn't want to hear it from Caroline if she hadn't worn one. So, here she was, in a two piece bathing suit.

Charlene thought it looked good enough to wear and it was in her favorite color. A beautiful royal blue. Charlene was with her sister, helping with giving out the tickets. Caroline overlooked them, making sure everything was going perfectly, well perfectly in her eyes.

"No friends discounts. No freebees. No pay ya laters." The other blonde said sternly. "We are not running a charity here. No we are not."

Charlene shook her head as Elena nodded.

"No we are not." Her sister agreed. It was better to agree with Caroline, then disagree.

Megan and Stefan finally showed up, holding hands. Charlene was glad to see them back together again. It was great seeing the big grin on her best friend, making her happy that she decided to help Stefan make it up to her.

"Hey!" Megan greeted brightly. Charlene moved out from the stand to go hug her friend. "You look good!" she gushed as the blonde broke the hug. "I'm surprised that you actually wore one!"

"I wasn't going to, but I didn't want to hear Care over here complaining if I didn't." Charlene grinned over at her blonde friend, who rolled her eyes.

Though, Caroline then made a comment after looking over what both Megan and Stefan were wearing, doing what Charlene wanted to avoid. "The event is called sexy suds, you know." Giving them a look, she sauntered away from them.

"See? Just what I didn't want." Charlene said, and Megan rolled her eyes.

"Whatever…and I do have a bathing suit on, it's just underneath my clothes." She informed.

"Just ignore her." Elena said.

"Planning on it." Megan grinned as Charlene stifled a laugh. She winked at her before turning to face Stefan. "Buuut, Caroline does have a point, so I think you have to take your shirt off."

Stefan eyed her. "I think you have to go first." He suggested as Charlene and Elena stood there awkwardly.

Megan smiled seductively as she tried to look sexy trying to take off her cover up. It was an epic fail, almost tumbling back on Charlene, who managed to catch her.

"Oops." Megan pouted, and Stefan had to help her take the rest of it off. "Well, that didn't go as I expected."

"Well, I thought you did great." Stefan told her with a teasing grin. He brushed her hair behind her ear and brought her in for a kiss.

Megan giggled into his mouth. Charlene and Elena shared amused looks while they watched them. They were too cute. Though she was happy for her best friend, Charlene couldn't help but feel a little jealous, wishing she had someone like Stefan.

"You guys are disgusting." Charlene teased, deciding to push off her little bit of jealousy.

Megan stuck her tongue at her for a moment before turning her attention back on Stefan. Charlene rolled her eyes as her and her sister left them alone, deciding to give them some alone time.

* * *

Megan was having a good time at the car wash, but it did help that her boyfriend was there too. They were currently washing the same car together.

"Didn't think this would be so much fun!" Megan said brightly, grinning over at Stefan. He nodded in agreement as he smiled back, focusing on the car, and he looked so cute doing it. She took notice to the ring on his finger, which wasn't hard to notice. "Is it okay for that ring to get wet?"

"Oh, it's fine."

"Are you sure?" Megan asked, moving over to him.

He nodded. "Yep."

"Okay." Megan continued to ask questions about the ring. "So, I noticed that Damon has the same ring. Is there a story behind it?"

Stefan nodded once again. "Yeah, it's the family crest from the Italian renaissance."

"Wow, that's really cool." Megan wasn't lying when she said that as she went over, wanting to examine the ring herself. Though it was bulky, it was pretty, especially the beautiful blue stone in the middle of it. "What's the stone anyway? Its beautiful." Her thumb brushed over it.

"It's called lapis lazuli."

"Oh…" The name of the stone sounded familiar, but Megan couldn't remember where she heard it from. "Are you sure you don't want to take it off? I can always just put it in my bag."

He shook his head. "No, it's fine…it's fine, really. Thanks though."

Megan stared at him for a moment before shrugging. "Well, alright. So…I'm gonna get some towels, I'll be back."

"Okay…"

With that, Megan headed back over to where Charlene and Caroline were. Elena wasn't in sight, but she was probably with Jenna. Megan had seen Jenna hanging around Logan Fell.

"Guys, we're out of towels. Oh, and those shimmy things." She informed the two blondes.

Caroline sighed heavily. "I'll go get some more…Char, do you care to go with me?"

"Sure." Charlene agreed.

"Great, thank you." The slightly taller blonde turned towards Megan. "Mind the money." The blondes left her there.

* * *

Charlene followed Caroline down the hallway of the school, searching for more towels and those shimmy things Megan mentioned. Suddenly, Caroline stopped walking and she nearly bumped into her.

"Charlene, do you hear that?" she asked, turning her head around to look at the blonde.

She looked at her, confused. "No, what is it?"

"I don't know…" Caroline mumbled. "I could have sworn I heard something…it…it sounded it was Damon…"

"Damon?"

"Yeah…" Caroline walked a little more but stopped again and abruptly turned around, brushing by Charlene. She managed to see that Caroline looked dazed as she whirled to face her.

"Caroline?" Charlene called, trying to stop her but she didn't. "Caroline!" She ran after the blonde as her mind wondered what was going on with her friend to make her act like that.

* * *

Megan hadn't mind being left with the money because it gave her a chance to take a break. A couple more people showed up…even the old gentleman who she saw at the Grill. That whole thing was strange…and now she had the chance to find out what that was all about.

Megan smiled kindly at him. "That'll be twenty dollars." As he handed her the money, she said, "I saw you last night. You were talking to a friend of mine. At the grill?"

"Well, I…I thought it was somebody I knew."

"Stefan Salvatore."

"If you don't mind me asking, where do you think you've seen him before?" Megan asked, leaning forward as she rested her elbows on the table.

"I don't mind…when I first moved here, I stayed at the Salvatore boarding house.

"Oh?"

"Stefan was just passing through to visit his uncle. I mean, none of us knew he was even here until the attack.'

Megan's face took on a confused look. "Attack? What attack?"

"His uncle got killed. Mauled by an animal in the woods."

"His uncle? Are you talking about Zach?"

He shook his head. "Mm-mmm. Joseph."

"I'm sorry, sir, I don't think I know the story." Megan said slowly. Stefan had never mentioned another uncle.

"Oh, how could you? I mean, this happened years ago."

Megan was taken back by this but before she could ask anything else, Tiki showed up. "Grandpa, you gotta go." She said to the old man. "Mom wants you, okay?"

He didn't say anything for a moment before he nodded. "Ah." He started walking off.

"He wasn't bugging you, was he?" Tiki asked, turning towards her. "He's a little alzy-heimery."

"No, he was sweet." Megan quickly got up and stopped the older gentleman, needing to know more. "Hey, sir. I'm sorry. Um, are you sure that the man that you saw, that you know, his name was Stefan Salvatore."

"Yes. I remember his ring and his brother—"

Megan hated being rude to older people, but she interrupted him, eyes widening a bit. "Damon?"

"Yeah. Damon and Stefan Salvatore."

Her mind was blown. How was that even possible? "When was this?" she asked.

Megan didn't think he could say anything else that would blow her mind even more. She was wrong. Totally wrong.

"It was early June, 1953." He said, and she tried not to stare open mouthed at him in shock. "Yeah. June, 1953."

Megan shook out of her shock and muttered a quick thank you to him before heading over to Stefan, who was still washing the same car.

"Caroline finally freed you, huh?" he questioned.

"Sorta, well, actually I don't know where she is. She and Charlene went to go get towels and they haven't come back yet." Megan left it at that, then changed the subject. "Hey, Stefan, er, I never realized you were Italian."

Stefan looked amused. "No? Last name Salvatore didn't do it for you?"

"Oh! Right…doi!" Megan nearly smacked herself in the forehead. "Anyway, are there any other Salvatores in Mystic Falls?"

"My uncle Zach."

"Is there anyone else? You must have other family members here."

"I mean, there was…but they kinda just spread out later." Megan nodded slowly. "Why?"

Megan forced a smile. "No reason…just want to know more about you, that's all." Luckily, he believed her. Leaving Stefan again to find Elena, she found her talking with Bonnie. "Elena!" The brunette turned to look at her. "Can you help me with something?"

* * *

Charlene ended up following Caroline all the way to the Salvatore boarding house. She had no idea what they were doing here for.

"Care, what are you doing?!" Charlene groaned, tired of walking.

Caroline seemed like she didn't hear her, continuing to walk towards the boarding house. She was so confused right now! Charlene could have left and went back to the car wash, but she couldn't leave Care alone, not with how she was acting. There was something definitely wrong with her friend.

She followed her inside the boarding house. As they moved closer and closer to the basement, tingles went down her spine, but not the good kind. In the pit of her stomach, she knew something was terribly.

"Care…" Charlene managed to say, trying and failing to grab Caroline's arm to pull her back. "We should go…I have a bad feeling about this."

Again, she was ignored. With another groan, she grudgingly followed Caroline down to the cellar. It was dark and dreary and Charlene felt a chill go through her, making her gulp. Though…she couldn't stop her curiosity, wondering what was down here since he hadn't before. Both she and Caroline peered into the cellar door. What they saw shocked them both.

Damon Salvatore was down in there, looking like he had been in there for days. He looked awful.

"Damon…" Charlene breathed. She hadn't expected this.

Neither did Caroline. "Oh my god! What is this?" she gasped, finally speaking. "How did I know that were here?"

"Because…I wanted…you to…very, very badly…let me out of here…please…"

"You bit me."

"You liked it."

"Why do I keep remembering things, but in different ways?" Caroline asked quietly.

"You remember what I want you to remember. And now that the vervain has passed out of your system, you won't remember what you're about do."

His words confused the hell out of Charlene. What was he talking about? And what the heck was vervain?

"What am I about to do?"

"You're gotta open that door. You're gotta open that door."

Charlene just _knew_ that was a bad idea. "Caroline, don't!" It was too late as the door opened and to her fright, he attacked them.

At the same time, Zach Salvatore burst through. "Run! Get out of here!"

He didn't have to tell them twice. Charlene took off running right behind Caroline. Something made her stop and she looked back only for her eyes to widen in horror as Damon killed Zach, snapping his neck. Charlene was frozen in her spot, unable to believe what happened.

Then Damon's head snapped towards and he snarled at her. This broke her out of her stupor causing her to start running again. He tried to catch her. Charlene ran as fast as she could but she wasn't fast enough. Damon grabbed her and slammed her up against the nearest wall.

Charlene barely had a chance to scream, it getting caught in her throat as she took notice to the fact Damon had fangs and his eyes were completely pitch black with veins protruding. Then she tried to scream again but he tossed his head back and bit into her neck, fangs slicing into her skin. Charlene struggled against Damon, but it was no use. Her eyes fluttered as she felt her body being drained of blood.

This…this couldn't be happening.

But it was and she just knew she was going to die. Suddenly, she was released and her body flopped to the ground, like it was a baby doll. Charlene's heart barely beat against her chest. The last thing the blonde remembered was Damon staring down at her, blood all over his mouth.

* * *

Megan got all the information she needed, after watching the old news videos. She should have known what he was…but she just didn't want to believe it. Megan immediately went to the boarding house and frantically knocked on the door. A few minutes later, Stefan opened the door. Megan immediately spoke up, her voice loud and to the point.

"What the hell are you?!"

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Lost Girls, Part 1...**


	14. Lost Girls, Part 1

****Disclaimer:**** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 ** **Author's Note:**** And here is the first part of Lost Girls! ! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires. And we're finally getting into flashbacks, which are always fun! :D Anyway, please leave reviews!

* * *

 _1864…_

Stefan Salvatore stood outside of his family estate with his arms behind his back as he waited for the Pierce sisters. They were going to be staying with him, his Father, and his older brother Damon for a while. They had lost their parents in a horrible fire. He hadn't met the women yet, that's why he told his father that he would greet them when they came. Finally, a carriage started to drive down the pathway that led to the estate. After it had stopped in front of him, the driver got out of the carriage and went to open the side door. An elegant hand was placed in the driver's hand and slowly but surely, Stefan was able to see the woman who had a came out of it.

She was pretty to say the least. She had long brown hair and beautiful tan skin. Her lips turned up into a smile as she observed the man before her. Stefan smiled back as he met her half-way and she curtsied with her smile widening at him.

"You must be Miss Pierce." He assumed, greeting her as he took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"Please call me Katherine." Katherine smirked at him, and he released her hand.

His eyes went back to the carriage as another woman exited the carriage and Stefan's heart skipped a beat. If Katherine was pretty, this one was gorgeous with long curly black hair that was pulled up in an elegant bun with strands of hair falling into her face. She had pretty green eyes, a lighter color than his were, but they were even prettier than his and she had white creamy skin and pretty pink lips.

The woman's eyes met his as she went to stand next to Katherine and she curtsied. "Hello, Mr. Salvatore." She greeted with a small smile, causing his heart to skip another beat. She had such a pretty smile. "I'm Demetria, Miss Pierce's best friend. Hope it's okay if I stay here as well, if it's not any trouble."

Stefan smiled back at her. "No trouble at all." Her smile widened at that as they gazed at each other.

The moment was broken by Katherine cleared her throat and Stefan turned his gaze back to her.

"My sister, Abigail, should be along soon. She had to take care of a few things." The brunette explained.

Stefan nodded in response before looking back at Demetria. "Well, shall we go inside?"

Katherine and Demetria shared a look, giggling to themselves as they nodded and started to follow Stefan inside the boarding house.

 _Present…_

Megan breathed heavily as she stared at Stefan, waiting for him to response. It looked like he hadn't expected her to be here if the look on his face was anything to go by. She waited for a few minutes to give him a chance to answer before she asked him again, her voice raising a couple notches.

"What are you?!"

"You know." Stefan said calmly.

Of course she did, but Megan just couldn't just wrap her mind around it. He couldn't be what she thought he was. There was just _no way_.

Megan shook her head slowly. "No, I don't." She lied, not wanting to believe it. That her boyfriend was… _that_.

He didn't have any sort of reaction as he stared at her. "Yes, you do, or you wouldn't here."

She shook her head again. "But…it can't be! It's just not possible…there's _no way_!"

"Everything you know…" Stefan started off, seriously. "And every belief that you have is about to change. Are you ready for that?"

Megan didn't have a solid answer for his question. How could _anyone_ be ready for something like that? So, she didn't say anything for a moment.

She licked her lips nervously. "What are you?"

"I'm a vampire."

Megan stepped back immediately as she slowly shook her head. "Oh God, what was I thinking? I shouldn't have come here…" She ran her fingers through her hair frantically while moving away even further.

Stefan tried to stop her, trying to reach for her. "No. Please." He pleaded.

As soon as he moved forward, Megan attempted to run away since it was her first instinct to do so. She wanted out of there! Megan barely had a chance to reach her car because Stefan appeared in front of her, out of nowhere. She let out a cry of surprise as her heart jumped in fright.

"No, stay away from me!" Megan yelled at him, fear in her words.

"Please, don't be afraid of me!" Stefan begged her.

 _Too late_ _for that_. Megan tried to run away again towards her car. As if she sensed him coming up behind her, she whirled around and did something that she never felt the need to do. She used her powers.

Stefan cried out in pain and shock, grasping his head as Megan gave him a hard hitting brain aneurysm. She never used her powers, not like this…to hurt someone, but she was scared and it was an automatic reaction.

"M-M-Megan…s-s-stop…" Stefan gritted out through the pain.

Those words made her stop and he fell to his knees. This gave Megan a chance to get in her car, driving off as fast as she could, not even caring if she got pulled over by the cops for speeding. She got back home, skidding to a stop before she quickly went inside her house. Luckily, Bonne was nowhere in sight, so she didn't have to worry about any questions from her sister. Megan rushed to her room and slammed the door shut. She breathed heavily as she rested forehead on the closed door, trying to wrap her mind around what was happening.

Stefan was a vampire.

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. It explained everything. It explained her feelings about Stefan. That there was something _off_ about him, but she was sure as hell didn't expect it to be this. Taking a deep breath, Megan let it out before she turned around, only to scream when she found Stefan right in front of her. Before she could try to run again, Stefan blocked her from doing so, putting his hands against the door. Fear striked her again.

"Leave me alone, Stefan!" Megan exclaimed, trying and failing to keep the fear out of her voice. She wanted him away from her, far away!

"Megan…Megan…please just listen to me!" he said desperately as he tried to touch her face but she just jerked her head away. "I never wanted to hurt you. You're safe with me."

"But those animal attacks, those people who died…" Megan's eyes widened in horror. "Did you do that?! Do you attack those people?!"

He shook his head frantically. "No. That was Damon!"

Her eyes went wide even more. "Damon?! He's a…a…" Her voice lowered into a whisper. "A vampire too…?"

"Yes. I don't drink human blood. That's not how I chose to survive, but Damon does! I'll tell you everything, but I beg you, Megan, do not tell anything."

"What?! How can you ask me to do that?!" Yes, she could keep her witch side a secret, but this one! She couldn't let other people get hurt.

"Because you knowing this is dangerous for so many reasons. You can hate me, but I need you to trust me." His green eyes pleaded with her, but she couldn't. She couldn't trust him. Not anymore, because what other secrets was he keeping from her?

"I can't…" He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off, her eyes welling with tears. "Just go Stefan…if what you say is true…and you're not going to hurt me…then go…just go…"

Stefan slowly backed away and shook his head as his eyes stayed locked on her tear filled ones. "I never wanted this…" he whispered emotionally.

Megan closed her eyes, a few tears dripping down her cheeks. When she opened them, Stefan was gone. In response, she slid down the door and tucked her knees up against her chest before burying her face in her knees. She couldn't believe this was happening right now.

* * *

Head pounding, Charlene finally regained consciousness and found herself in the woods. Breathing heavily, she managed to sit up. Her head started to spin but somehow, she was able to keep upright. Not wanting to risk herself by standing up, she stayed on the ground, trying to remember what exactly happened. Charlene groaned as she tried to think.

As her eyes got used to the dark, she took notice to a smell in the air. It smelt like burning bodies. Charlene turned her head only to let out a scream at the sight of a dead body lying beside right where she was sitting. She jumped to her feet and nearly stumbled as she took off running. She wasn't able to run that far when she hit a solid body and she looked up. Charlene screamed again at the sight of Damon Salvatore, causing all the memories to come flooding back. HE BIT HER!

Charlene tried shoving him away but his grip on her was too strong.

"Calm down, Charlene." Damon soothed, holding onto her arms tightly only releasing one to brush her hair out of her face. She shuddered unpleasantly at the feeling. "Everything's alright."

"You bit me!" Charlene exclaimed, fear and disgust in her eyes.

A smirk crossed his face. "I know…but I didn't mean to…you were just in the wrong place, at the wrong time…"

"What are you?!" she demanded.

Damon's smirk widened as he leaned in close to her face and Charlene's fear spiked even more as she struggled a bit but he regained his strong hold on her.

"I'm a vampire…" he whispered as if he was telling a secret. As he leaned away, she stared at him, wide-eyed. "Now…you're going to stay right here while I make a phone call to Stefan."

Hearing Stefan's name shocked Charlene to her core. He was a vampire too?!

"And don't you dare scream." Damon put a finger to his lips, leaning towards her once more as his blue eyes met hers. "Can't let Stefan know you're here, it's a secret." He smirked again.

Charlene gulped and quickly nodded. She would too afraid to scream anyway, nervous that Stefan was here to hurt her and Megan. Oh God, Megan…she hoped her best friend was okay.

Tugging her over to another dead body, Damon burned it and Charlene nearly threw up at the smell of burning flush. She crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself as she turned her head away. While the body burned, Damon made a phone call to Stefan and it wasn't long until he answered.

Charlene heard every word as she stayed silent. She wanted to scream but her mouth stayed shut as if she couldn't. So, she just listened.

"I want my ring." Damon demanded.

"Where are you?"

"I'm at the sizzler. I had the buffet. Where's my ring?"

"I don't have it. Where are you? What have you done?"

"No, what have you done? You're the one that locked me in the basement, whatever I've done, whoever I've sucked dry is on you, buddy."

"You're being careless. How many animal attacks is this town going to believe?"

Hearing those words, Charlene's heart stopped. That was Damon who killed all those people. She wanted to run. She could have died but she couldn't run. It was like her feet were glued to the ground.

"I know how to cover my tracks, Stefan. Where's my ring?"

"I gave it to Zach to hide. Probably shouldn't have killed him."

Damon paused for a moment before he smirked and spoke again. "Ah, you almost got me. Where is it?"

"I'll get it back. I just need time."

"What did you FedEx it to Rome?! Where is it?! I want my ring, Stefan, or my next stop's Megan's."

The mention of her best friend made Charlene almost scream. No! He wasn't going to hurt her! As if he knew what she was about to do, Damon grabbed her around the chest and pushed his hand on her mouth, stopping her from doing so.

Charlene's eyes welled with tears.

"I already want you dead. Don't give me another reason to make it happen." His words were practically a grown and it gave Charlene the sense that he wasn't going to let his brother hurt her best friend.

"Don't give another reason to rip you apart." Damon growled back.

"Yeah? Is that going to be before or after you get your ring back?"

"Just get it." Damon hung up the phone, slipping inside his leather jacket. He released Charlene but kept her close to him, keeping a tight hold of one of her arms.

Charlene winced. "What…what are you going to do to me?" she whispered fearfully.

"Haven't decided yet." The threatening words caused her to gulp. Damon went over to another dead body and it was someone Charlene recognized…

"Vicki!" the blonde cried out, managing to get out of Damon's grip. She ran over to Matt's sister's body and fell to her knees beside her. "No…no…no…you can't be dead…" she chanted tearfully. She turned her head towards Damon, full on tears filling her eyes, making her vision blurry. "You're a monster!"

Damon didn't have a reaction, as if he was used to it. "I know…" he said darkly. He grabbed a bottle of alcohol, probably to pour on Vicki's body, and burn her dead body along with the others.

"No, don't!" Charlene pleaded. "Please Damon!"

Before he could do anything, a cough sounded and she looked towards Vicki again, finding her eyes starting to flutter open. Then Damon yanked Charlene to her feet.

"Don't move!" he ordered her and Charlene went still again. Seeing that she wasn't going to be moving, he kneeled beside Vicki's body, titling his head to the side. "You just don't want to die, do you?" After a few moments, he stood up and scooped Vicki up into his arms. "Follow me." He told Charlene, who listened but glared at him as she did so.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Lost Girls, Part 2...**

 **Wasn't quick on this one like the previous chapters, but here is it! I hope you enjoyed the first part of one of my favorite episodes! Please leave reviews! Until next time on Surviving Vampires 101! :)**


	15. Lost Girls, Part 2

****Disclaimer:**** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 ** **Author's Note:**** And here is the second part of Lost Girls! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

* * *

Megan hoped that she didn't regret this as she sat outside of the Mystic Grill while she waited for Stefan to show up.

She had decided to give him a chance to explain himself, but she knew he probably had questions for her too. Megan regretted using her powers on him like that. It was the only she could think of to do so she could get away from Stefan, thus giving away her own secret. It should have been a relief that the secrets were out, but Megan had a feeling he was keeping more secrets from her. She hoped she was wrong. That him being a…vampire was all there is.

The sound of a chair scooting made Megan's head look up and there was Stefan, sitting across from her. She couldn't help but stiffen up a bit, remembering how scared she was. Stefan noticed and winced a little.

"Megan…" he said her name gently.

She just nodded at him before cutting to the chase. "So, you're a vampire?"

"Yes."

"And you'll explain everything?"

Stefan met her gaze, a serious look crossing his face. "I can tell you whatever you want to know."

Megan nodded, licking her lips. "Okay…and I'm guessing you have questions too…about what I did…"

"About you being a witch?" She nodded again. "No, I don't. I figured it out at the dinner party…"

"Oh…" Megan said nothing for a moment. "Well then, I just want to say I'm sorry." She meant it. "I never use my powers like that…but I was scared…" Guilt flashed in Stefan's eyes as he looked down. Without thinking, she reached over and tilted his head back up, causing their eyes to meet. Her thumb brushed his cheek before she realized what she was doing and she dropped her hand, changing the subject back to him. "So, I know that you can eat garlic, so that crossing out that stereotype."

"Yeah." Stefan nodded.

"And somehow, the sun doesn't seem to bother you. What's with that?"

Before he could answer, a waitress showed up with the drinks that they ordered. "Here's your drinks." She said with a bright smile.

Megan smiled back slightly. "Thank you." With that, the waitress left, leaving them alone again.

"We have rings that protect us." This made her glance down at the ring on his finger as he twirled it around. No wonder he didn't want to take it off at the carwash.

"What about Crucifixes?"

"Decorative."

"Holy water?"

"Drinkable."

"Do you sparkle?" Megan couldn't resist a _'Twilight'_ reference.

Stefan lightly chuckled at that. "No."

"Oh, thank god." Megan sighed in relief. "What about mirrors? Is that myth too?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Myth."

"And you don't have to kill to survive?" she questioned curiously.

"Animal blood keeps me alive, but not as strong as Damon. He can be very powerful."

Megan frowned. "If that's true, then why did you let him around Caroline? Let him hurt her?" A little bit of anger filled her tone and she didn't bother hiding it, causing Stefan to flinch.

"Forcing Damon not to do something is more dangerous. Trust me."

"That's not an answer, Stefan!" Megan snapped. "He was hurting her! Left marks on her skin, made her confused!"

"He was feeding on her." Stefan explained calmly. "He was able to take away her memories of being bitten, using a form of mind compulsion. She never knew what was happening to her. If he wanted to kill her, he would have."

"Why are you defending him? That still doesn't make what he did to her okay, don't you know that?"

"Of course I know that! None of this is okay, Megan. None of it."

The black-haired teen took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "Did…did you ever use that mind compulsion on me?" she asked softly, wanting to know.

"No, never." Stefan answered quickly and Megan knew he was telling the truth.

"Okay…so…are there any other vampires besides you and Damon?" Megan asked.

Stefan shook his head. "Not in Mystic Falls; not anymore."

"Not anymore?"

"There was a time when this time was…very much aware of vampires, and it didn't end well for them. That's why it's important that you don't tell anyone."

"I don't know if I can promise that, Stefan." Megan said quietly. "Especially not telling Charlene, I tell her everything. If I promise not to say anything, I won't be able to tell my best friend."

Stefan leaned forward. "Megan…" She met his gaze. "Give me today. I will answer any questions you have, and when it's over, you can decide for yourself what you wanna do with what you know. It'll be your choice."

After thinking about it for a while, Megan licked her lips and nodded. "Okay, I'll give you today."

* * *

 _1864, Mystic Falls…_

Abigail Piece walked through the garden, giggling with her older sister Katherine Pierce. She had just arrived to Mystic Falls and she was happy to see her as they hadn't see each other in over a week. Their maid, Emily Bennett, was there too. They had stopped in front of some roses as she spoke up.

"Miss, you're supposed to have tea with Mr. Lockwood now." She reminded Katherine.

"Oh yes," Katherine said, glancing at Emily with a smile. "I had forgotten about that." She looked over at Abigail, "I'll be seeing you later." She kissed her sister on both of her cheeks before picking up her skirts and leaving the garden with Emily right behind her.

Abigail smiled to herself as she turned back to roses and she sniffed one of them, closing her eyes as the beautiful scent went up her nose. A touch on her shoulder caused her to jump and turn to face the person who had touched her shoulder. In front of her, there stood the most gorgeous man Abigail had ever seen in her life… He had curly black hair, beautiful blue eyes, and wore a Confederate uniform. She had a feeling that this was Damon Salvatore, Stefan's older brother, as Stefan had mentioned his brother was off fighting in the army. Abigail snapped out of her staring when Damon spoke.

"I, um, sorry for startling you." He cleared his throat nervously. "But I don't think we've met before."

Abigail couldn't help but smile at his nervousness. "I don't think so, sir, but if I may guess, you're Damon Salvatore."

Damon looked surprised but he covered it up quickly. "Yes Miss, that's me, how did you know?"

"Oh your brother, Stefan, told me a lot about you." Abigail explained.

"All good things I hope," Damon joked with a charming smile. Abigail giggled and his smile widened.

"Yes, all good things." Abigail said, nodding with a smile.

"Well, you know me, but I don't know you," Damon responded. "What's your name if I may ask?"

"Oh how rude of me." Abigail curtsied to him, smiling. "I'm Abigail…Abigail Pierce. Pleasure to meet you, sir."

Damon smiled down at the woman in front of him and he grabbed her hand, kissing the back of it. "Pleasure's all mine Miss Pierce," he said charmingly.

Abigail giggled again, "Please just call me Abigail or just simply Abby."

"Then you must call me Damon."

Abigail nodded with a bright, happy grin on her face. He offered her his arm which she gladly took and they strolled through the garden.

* * *

 _Present…_

Charlene sat down on the ground, knees pulled up to her chest in living room of the Salvatore boarding house. She was scared. What was Damon going to do to her? At the moment, he hadn't done anything to hurt her…but that could change. He was a vampire. She watched enough vampires' movies and books, so she knew that they could be impulsive, but this was neither a book nor a movie. This was real life…and Charlene would be killed if she wasn't careful.

Her eyes looked around before landing on Vicki, who was passed out of the couch. Charlene's heart clenched at the sight of her limp body. She hated seeing her like that, even though she didn't like Vicki, no one should have this happen to them. Charlene hoped the youngest Donavan wouldn't die…for Jeremy's sake…for Matt…oh god. Matt. He must be so worried about her.

Charlene's eyes welled with tears and she buried her face into her knees. What about Elena and Jenna? Have they noticed she hadn't been around? If they had, why haven't they started looking for her? Then again, they would just assume she was with Megan, so there was nothing to worry about. Charlene lifted her head at the sound of Damon's voice. He was on the phone, talking into it. It sounded like he was leaving a message for someone.

"Where are you, Stefan." Damon growled into the speaker. "I'm trapped at the house, and I'm getting really bored and really impatient, and I don't do bored and impatient. Bring me my ring. Damnit." With that, he hung up the phone and tossed it to the floor angrily.

Charlene flinched and made a small noise, catching Damon's attention. She jumped when he was suddenly on his knees before her.

"Get away from me." Charlene managed to say as she tried to back away from him. It was no use since she was already against a wall. Damon smirked, watching her as she tried to get away.

"Oh calm down, I'm not going to hurt you, Charlene." He said, reaching forward and brushing a lock of hair from in front of her eyes. He tucked it behind her ear, then brushed his thumb across her cheek.

Charlene shivered unpleasantly and jerked her face away. "Don't touch me!" she hissed. "If you're going to kill me, just do it already, Damon!"

He chuckled darkly. "Don't tempt me."

"You already tried to kill me, so why don't you just finish the job?!"

"I didn't try to kill you." Damon said. "I _fed_ from you, there's a difference."

Charlene glared at him as she stood up to her feet, done with being afraid. "Explain to me how that's different." She argued.

"Because if I had killed you instead of feeding from you, you would be dead right now." Damon told her with a smirk.

He had a point, but Charlene only hardened her glare. "So what, it still doesn't make it right with what you did! Do you even care?"

"No. I don't." Damon said seriously. "Like you said, I'm a monster. And monsters don't care." He glared back at her before he turned around, heading towards Vicki. He clicked his tongue. "Aw, don't get blood on the couch!"

Charlene slowly walked forward, worried for Vicki. What was Damon going to do?

"Please? I got you good, didn't I?" Vicki didn't answer and he sighed heavily, getting onto the couch next to her. "You're not going to be any fun today. I'm so gonna regret this."

Charlene watched in horror as his face changed and he bit into his wrist, blood flowing from the wound. He pressed his wrist against Vicki's mouth forcefully. She should have stopped him but she was too much in shock to do anything. The only thing she could do was…just watch.

Vicki struggled for a bit before she eventually gave in, grabbing onto Damon's arm and bringing his wrist closer to her mouth. In response, he stroked her hair.

"Drink up." Damon encouraged. "Drink it up. Don't drip. There you go." Vicki seemed to be enjoying it from the moans she was giving off while she drank his blood and Charlene nearly felt like throwing up, her arms wrapping around herself to keep from falling apart. "Good girl. That's it."

As he did this, his eyes met Charlene's frightened ones. He showed no concern for her in those blue eyes of his.

Whatever she had seen in him before, it was gone.

* * *

Driving through the woods in her car, Megan wondered where Stefan was leading her. If she hadn't known he was going to give her answers, she would have thought he was taking her away to kill her. Luckily, that wasn't happening.

They drove for a while until Stefan spoke up. "Stop here."

Confused, Megan stopped the car and looked outside the window. They were in the middle of nowhere, then she looked back at Stefan. "What are we doing here?"

He got out of the car, not answering her, and Megan followed in suit. She stepped outside, closing the door behind her.

"I want to show you something." Stefan told her, turning around to look at her.

Megan looked at him in sudden amusement. "You want to show me something in the middle of nowhere?"

"This…didn't use to be nowhere." Stefan said as he turned back around, gazing into the field. "Used to be my home."

Surprised, Megan stared at his back. He started walking further down the field and she followed him only to stop in the middle of what used to be a home. There was a few statues around and Megan gazed at one of them.

"This place looks so…" she trailed off.

"Old?" Stefan finished.

"Well, I was gonna say outdated, but yeah…old."

He chuckled. "That's because they are."

"Wait a minute…" Her eyes widened in realization. "If this was your home, then you must be…"

"I've been seventeen years old since 1864."

Megan's eyes widened even more if that was possible. "Whoa…that's a massive age difference."

Stefan chuckled in amusement. "Yeah…" She slowly shook her head. "You said you wanted to know. I'm not gonna hold anything back. Half a century before the boarding house was even built, this was my family home. Damon and I…we were both born here. The Salvatore brothers, the best of friends…"

This made her stare at Stefan in shock. They…they were friends?

* * *

 _1864, Mystic Falls…_

Damon and Stefan Salvatore ran out of their home with Damon holding a football.

"Wait," Stefan said as they stopped in the field still close to the house. "Where did you learn to play this game?

"Camp outside of Atlanta," Damon replied. "One of the officers picked it up from Harvard. Catch!" He threw the ball at Stefan, who easily caught it.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" he exclaimed as Damon charged at him. "What are the rules? What are the rules?"

"Who needs rules?"

Katherine Pierce's voice sounded in an amused tone. Stefan and Damon turned towards their home as the Pierce sisters and their best friend, Demetria, came out of their home.

"Mind if we join you?" Abigail asked, looking over at Damon with a smile who immediately smiled back at her.

Stefan practically gazed at Demetria, still memorized with her beauty even though she had been here for weeks. Damon nudged him in the side, snapping him out of his gaze. Stefan cleared his throat, embarrassed, as the girls stepped off the last step of the stairs.

"Uh, well, you three could, uh—you three could get hurt. My brother likes to play rough." He tried, trying not to sound rude.

Demetria smirked seductively as she stepped closer to him, leaning her face towards his. "Somehow I think you play rougher." She whispered, now smiling teasingly as Abigail took the football from Damon and the blonde started running with a wide smile with Katherine and Demetria following right behind her. Stefan looked after Demetria in awe as she glanced back at him, winking before disappearing along with her sisters.

Damon nudged him in the side again, causing him to look over at his older brother. "What are you just standing there for? There's girls clearly want to be chased." He smiled widely. "If you don't do it, then I will." That said, he chased after them with Stefan soon following right behind him.

* * *

 _Present…_

"So…then that means…you knew Demetria back in 1864?" Megan shook her head, unable to believe. "Wow, Damon made it seem like it was just yesterday."

Stefan nodded as he turned to gaze at her. "Damon was trying to make you think that…I was still heartbroken. He saw that I was happy with you, and he wanted to ruin it."

"But why?"

"He loved Abigail…but she died in the same tragic fire that Demetria and Katherine did…so I guess he saw that I found someone I could be happy with…and he hadn't."

It made sense, so she didn't say anything as they walked around the ruins, her mind going over everything Stefan had told her.

* * *

Charlene was currently sitting down on the couch, bored out of her mind. There was music blaring through the boarding house that Damon had started playing. It was good music, but Charlene wasn't in the mood to be do any dancing, especially not here with the man who hurt her and was keeping her basically hostage.

Speaking of Damon, he was drinking and walking around the living room without a care in the world with the buttons of his shirt undone. If it had been before she wouldn't be able to help herself from staring at his bare chest, but instead, Charlene glared at him as he turned his head to look at her and he sighed heavily.

"Still mad at me, huh?" She didn't respond. "Well, that's unfortunate. I was gonna offer you a drink." He gestured to the bottle of bourbon.

"I don't want anything from you." Charlene said stiffly.

Damon smirked. "Keep telling yourself that, Charlie."

She flinched at the nickname but before she could yell at him for it, Vicki appeared, fresh from a shower and looking better than ever. There was even a bounce to her step.

"Oh man!" Vicki groaned in delight. "That shower was so great! What did you give me?"

Before Damon could answer, Charlene stood up from her spot. "Vicki, are you alright?" she asked.

Vicki looked like she had finally noticed the blonde there. "Charlene? What are you doing here?"

Charlene would have responded if Damon hadn't interrupted her to answer Vicki's question.

"Some blood." He told her, going up next to Charlene. He got a little close for her liking and she went to back away but he grabbed her arm, keeping her from doing so. "You loved it."

Vicki's nose scrunched up in confusion. "I did? Wait, I'm confused. How did we get here?"

"We met in the woods. You were drunk. I attacked you. Then I killed all your friends, except for Charlene here." Damon squeezed her arm but he kept his eyes on Vicki's, his dilating as a dazed look crossed her face. "And brought you here, gave you some blood. You loved it. And now, we're gonna party until the sun goes down."

"Okay." Vicki said without hesitation as the dazed look disappeared. Charlene was taken back by this. So that was how Damon was able to keep her from running…some kind of…compulsion? "Um, but first, can I have another hit? That blood was so good."

Damon smirked widely. "Only if I can." He bit into his wrist and gave it to Vicki to feed her.

Charlene was disgusted, watching this from close. She thought he would just feed from Vicki, but he had other thoughts as he tugged her forward. Before she could yell, his fangs had already extended and sliced through the skin of her neck. Charlene gasped in pain, trying to get him off of her but he just sucked on her neck harder, taking in more blood.

"Mm…" Damon moaned into her neck, using his free hand to bring her neck close to his mouth.

Surprisingly, pleasure went through her and Charlene couldn't help the moan that escaped her mouth. He finally pulled away, his fangs dripping with her blood.

Staring at him with a dazed but tired look, Charlene reached up and traced his prodding veins. Why…why did he look so fascinating now? Slowly, she dropped her hand as he suddenly ripped into his other wrist and fed her his blood. Charlene should have struggled against him doing this, but she was too tired to do so. She drank his blood greedily. It wasn't as gross as she thought it would be.

This was definitely something she never thought she would do in a million years. But here she was, drinking blood from the man that hurt her.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Lost Girls, Part 3...**

 **Before you guys get worried, Charlene's not gonna be changed! I wouldn't do that to her...not this soon at least. So, she's gonna be fine, at least mostly. Charlene and Damon definitely have a connection between them, but nothing will become of it, not for a long time at least since he's still love with Abigail. Darlene is definitely a slow burn pairing, but don't worry! They will happen eventually.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed the second part of Lost Girls and as always, I would love more reviews. I have people looking at the chapters but no one's reviewing. So I would love some! Please and thank you.**

 **Until next time! :D**


	16. Lost Girls, Part 3

****Disclaimer:**** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 ** **Author's Note:**** And here is the third and last part of Lost Girls! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

* * *

All the information Stefan had given her was still weighing on Megan's mind. It was a lot to take in, but she was glad he was telling because she needed to know this stuff. However, it wasn't enough to convince her that she shouldn't tell anyone about what she had learned.

Stefan suddenly stopped, causing Megan to nearly bump into his back. He reached down and pulled out a ring from under a ruin. It was the same ring that he had, so Megan knew it had to be Damon's ring.

"Is that Damon's ring?" she asked, just to make sure.

"I took it from him, but I have to give it back."

Megan's eyes went wide at that. "What?! No, you can't do that, Stefan!" She grabbed his arm. "Are you honestly considering giving his ring back? He could hurt someone if he's able to get out in the daylight."

"Megan, if I don't give it to him, he'll retaliate in the only way he knows he can hurt me."

She slowly blinked. "What would that be?"

His eyes met hers. "By hurting you."

Megan said nothing before she shook her head and spoke. "I rather him hurt me, than to hurt the people I care about. You know you can't give him the ring back, but I can't stop you from giving it back to him. So, you do what you have to do."

* * *

Charlene had never felt the feeling of being high. She wasn't the type to use drugs, or anything like that but she ever was, this must be how being high feels like. But instead of being high on drugs, Charlene was high off of blood and it was a strange feeling and something her body wasn't used to.

She wasn't jumping up off the wall like Vicki, who was currently dancing rapidly to the music Damon was playing, while she was stretched across the couch, lazily drinking from the bottle of bourbon she ended up taking from Damon, who hadn't gotten angry about it. He was probably just glad she wasn't being moody bitch.

If anyone could see her now, they wouldn't think they were looking at the same person, but it was.

Charlene's eyes went to Vicki. The brunette was still bouncing along with the music while she ranted about Tyler. Something she rolled her eyes at. She didn't like hearing about Tyler, especially not from the girl who he cheated on her with. Not only that, she had just been with her brother, so that made what Vicki was saying extremely uncomfortable. Charlene was only half listening to what the brunette was talking about.

"I am so over Tyler, so over him!" Vicki groaned, tossing her head back. "I knew from the beginning that I was only a piece off ass to him and I would put out because Charlene, over here, wouldn't stop being such a prude!"

The blonde sat up quickly at the mention of her name. "Hey!"

Vicki simply rolled her eyes while Damon smirked. "Sorry…well not really…but still! It's true!" Charlene glared at her but she didn't even see it as she went on. "But I thought maybe if he got to know me better, he might see something more!" She tossed herself to the floor, being a bit dramatic for Charlene's taste. "But no!" She lifted herself back up and bounced, tossing her head along with the music as Damon took a drink from his own bottle of bourbon. "Now, Jeremy, on the other hand, that's all he ever seen in me is something more, and I like that." She grinned giddily.

"Well, I have no idea why." Charlene said with a sneer, sounding a bit mean. It was loud enough for Vicki to hear, earning a heatedly glare from her.

"Bitch." Vicki bit out.

"Better than being a slut." Charlene countered back. Anger and hatred flashed in Vicki's eyes but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Now girls, no need to fight." Damon said but from the look on his face, he was loving the cat fight that was brewing between the two females.

 _'It was probably a turn on for him.'_ Charlene thought disgustedly. However, both of them just ignored him. Except for what he said next.

"When you mean Jeremy, you mean Charlene and Elena's little brother?"

The blonde could practically see the gears spinning in his head. "Don't you even think about it!" she growled. Damon just shrugged innocently, taking a swing of his drink. Her fingers tightened around her bottle as she got madder at Damon.

"Yeah, yeah!" Vicki answered, not noticing how ticked off Charlene was getting. "So, Elena used to date my brother, and they were always together, and Charlie over here was with Tyler, so Jeremy would always be hanging around and crushing on me…" She abruptly changed the subject, moving closer to Damon. "Hey! Why don't you have a girlfriend? You're, like, totally cool and hot."

Charlene scoffed as Damon smirked smugly. "I know."

"Don't you wanna be in love?" It was an innocent question, especially coming from Vicki Donavan, but Charlene could see the emotion in Damon's eyes.

"I've been in love. It's painful and pointless and overrated."

"Except when it's not."

Damon cut her off by spinning her around and bringing him back towards her, making Vicki gasp in surprise. "No more talking. Let's dance." Vicki was easily agreeable. They danced for a while until he let her go to dance by herself and he went over to Charlene. "Dance with me?"

"Yeah, I don't think so." She snapped and got up from the couch to move away but Damon tugged her towards him, bringing her to his chest. She struggled a bit but stopped when he whispered in her ear.

"Come on, just dance with me…and I'll give you more blood. I know you liked that…"

Just because she liked it, it didn't mean she was interested in doing it again. Charlene shoved him away.

"I said no." she hissed as she whirled around and stomped away to try and find the restroom in this massive house. She found the restroom, finding the nearest one in the hallway, near the kitchen.

After she finished, Charlene returned to the living room only to gasp in horror as Damon grasped Vicki's head and snapped her neck in one quick swipe.

"VICKI!" Charlene shouted in horror and she raced forward, trying to catch the girl's broken body from falling to the floor. Damon didn't give her the chance, shoving her against the nearest wall, and she struggled wildly in his grip. "LET GO OF ME! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!"

"I ended her pathetic human life." His lips twisted in a sadistic smirk. "But don't worry, she'll be back. Given she won't be the same, but she'll be alive…sort of."

Charlene's heart pounded in her chest at his words, hoping he wasn't saying what she thought he was.

"And so will you."

This made her eyes widen. "No! Please Damon, don't do it!" she begged as she began welling up with tears. "Please!"

Damon titled his head to the side and wiped her tears. "Oh don't cry." He told her, stroking her cheek. "It won't hurt one bit…"

Charlene was about to plead with him again but before she could, he snapped her neck and she knew no more...

After what seemed like forward, Charlene awoke with a sharp gasp and she blinked to regain her vision. Immediately, her head started hurting, causing her to moan in discomfort. Not only did her heart hurt, her gums hurt too. Charlene sat up and noticed Vicki had woken up to, groaning.

"What happened?" She rubbed her head as she stood up shakily. "We were dancing, and then…"

"Then I killed you." Damon responded bluntly. "Oh, and I killed Charlene too."

Charlene would have felt her heart race, but she couldn't feel it. She finally realized what was going on way before Vicki did and she stared at Damon in horror.

"No…" she whispered lowly. No…no…no! This was not happening! She…she couldn't…

"What?" Vicki stared at him, confused.

"You're dead."

"I'm dead?"

"Yeah, well, let's not make a big deal about it." Damon rolled his eyes, slipping his shirt back on and fixing the buttons. "You drank my blood, I killed you, and now you have to feed in order to complete the process."

As he said this, it made in more real and Charlene sobbed, but it was more like a dry sob since she was producing actual tears. No…this couldn't be happening. No. she couldn't be a vampire…but she was…and now she had to feed on an actual human to complete it. But what if she didn't? What would happen then?

Vicki, on the other hand, didn't believe him. "You're wasted." She started heading out, picking up her stuff as she did so.

"You don't want to be out there all alone." Damon warned her. "You're about to get real freaky."

The brunette shook her head, just groaning to herself. "Okay…I had a nice time. I just wanna go home." She nearly tripped over her but Charlene managed to stop her from falling. Afterwards, Vicki shoved the blonde away. "Go away, I don't need your help."

"But…" Charlene tried to protest but Damon stopped her.

"Just let her go." He said. "She's gonna regret it though." Then he spoke to Vicki. "You're gonna start craving blood, and until you get it, you're gonna feel very out of it. You have to be careful." He moved in front of her to block her off.

"Come on, move." Vicki tried to shove him away but it was a weak shove, so it didn't do much.

"See? You're already falling apart."

If she was, then why wasn't Charlene? She felt pretty normal. Her head hurt, sure, and so did her gums, but other than that, she didn't feel any different. Oh, and she couldn't feel her heart beating against her chest.

Vicki pushed him on the chest again and Damon moved. "And I'm going home now."

"Okay, fine." Damon held his hands up in surrender. "I'm just warning you." He glanced at Charlene, a smirk growing before he looked back at Vicki. "Actually, you know what? You should go. In fact, if I were you, I'd stop by your boyfriend Jeremy's house."

Eyes going wide in horror, she gave a shout. "No!" Angry, Charlene glared heatedly and her gums hurt even more. She let out a whimper and nearly fell to her knees from the pain and she went over to couch, sinking down into the cushions. So, she couldn't stop Vicki from leaving. Once she left, Damon headed over to her and kneeled before her, brushing the hair away from her face.

"There's nothing to worry about Charlene, I'm sure she won't hurt him…much." He smirked.

A snarl escaped her lips. With the strength she now processed, Charlene shoved Damon to the ground, grasping him by the throat tightly. It took him by surprise if the look on his face was any hint.

She slammed his head to the ground. "You dick!" she hissed. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Sending Vicki to my house where HUMAN aunt, sister, and brother are at!"

Instead of responding, Damon flipped her over and slammed her head down, making her gasp in pain.

"Don't get cocky, Charlene." He growled, close to her face. "I'm much, much older than you…and I can snap you like a twig. Don't make me regret turning you."

He released her neck and she gasped for breath that she didn't even need anymore, coughing loudly. Damon glanced at her coughing form before he left the room completely.

* * *

"I know you said you didn't compel me, but why haven't you?" Megan asked suddenly, causing Stefan to stop and turn to look at her.

"Because of that necklace." He nodded towards the necklace around her neck, the one Stefan had given her.

"The necklace?" Megan voiced as she looked down at it, confused as she wondered how a necklace could stop a vampire from compelling someone.

He nodded. "It contains an herb called vervain. It protects you from being compelled. I wanted to protect you from Damon's influence. But I also wanted to…protect you from me…" Megan glanced up at him and her eyes softened at the seriousness in them as he stepped closer to her. "Megan, you should never take that necklace off…because no matter what happens after today, no matter how you feel about me…you'll know you were free to make your own choice."

Her fingers gripped onto her necklace. There was so much passion in his words, and Megan now knew for a fact that Stefan would never hurt her. Though she knew this, she still had no idea whether or not if she would keep his secret. So, she still needed the rest of the day.

Megan opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing. Pulling out her cell phone, she looked at the caller id. It was Elena.

"Hello?" Megan greeted, answering the call. Elena sounded frantic on the other end of the phone. "Okay…okay…calm down. I'll be there as soon as I can." She hung up the phone and looked to Stefan, a worried look on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"Charlene hasn't been home since the car wash." Megan answered, starting to head back over to her. "There's something wrong…I can feel it…"

When they made it to Elena's house, there was entirely other thing going. Matt, Elena, and Jeremy were all gathered in the kitchen, looking concerned at a frantic Vicki.

Megan knew something was wrong. There was a bad aura in the room, coming from the direction of Vicki.

"What's happening?" Megan spoke up, gathering the attention of the rest of the group.

"She's really messed up."

Megan was about to stop forward to try and help but Stefan grabbed her arm top stop her. "Megan, back up." He headed towards Vicki and grasped his face in his hands as she stared after him, confused. "Vicki, look at me. Focus." Her eyes met his and he kept her gaze. "Everything's gonna be fine." Then he looked towards Elena, Matt, and Jeremy. "Guys, take her up to bed. Shut the blinds. Come on, come on."

Matt and Jeremy took Vicki upstairs but Elena stayed behind, going up to Megan.

"I'm really worried about Charlene." She said worriedly. "I've tried calling her but she's not answering."

"I'm sure she's fine, Lena." Megan tried to reassure her as she went up to her and rubbed her shoulders. "Maybe she's took some extra shifts at work?"

"Maybe…" she mumbled. "If you hear from her…just let me know…and that I'm going to kill her when she comes back."

Megan laughed softly. "I will." Elena went upstairs with Jeremy and Matt, causing her to turn towards Stefan, frowning. "What was that about? Do you know what's wrong with Vicki?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, what is it?"

"She's transitioning."

"What do you mean…?" Megan trailed off as her eyes widened and brought one of her hands up to her mouth. "No…she's…"

Knowing what she was thinking, he nodded sadly. "Yeah…she's transitioning into a vampire."

"Oh my god…" she breathed.

"Damon must have gotten to her. She's new. She hasn't completed her transformation."

"H-h-how the hell does she do that?" Megan questioned.

"She has to feed on human blood."

Though she probably knew the answer to her question, but Megan asked anyway. "What happens if she doesn't?"

"She'll die. She may only have a few hours."

"Why did you send her upstairs with Matt, Jeremy, and Elena?!" she exclaimed in horror. "She could hurt them!"

He placed his hands on her shoulders. "It's okay." He reassured, but Megan didn't feel reassured. "She doesn't know what's happening to her yet."

"When will she know? Will it be sometime soon?"

"Right now, she doesn't remember anything." Stefan started to explain with a sigh, running his fingers through his hair. "A part of her is still human, but slowly, the deeper she gets into the transition, the memories will start coming back, and then she has to make the choice."

Megan crossed her arms. "Like the one you made?" There was no judgement, just a simple question.

He didn't have time to say anything before out of nowhere, Vicki came running and Matt and Jeremy were quick to follow.

"Vicki!"

"She was fine, and then she just…freaked out!"

"I'm gonna go look for her. Call me if you hear anything." Matt left quickly.

"Stefan…" Megan said, worry in her voice.

"I can track her." He told her quickly.

"Go!" Stefan didn't have to be told twice and he hurried out the door.

Megan couldn't help but worry her bottom lip, hoping Vicki would be found before anything bad happened. Her mind went back to Charlene and decided to try to call her. Despite what she told Elena, with what happened with Vicki, she hoped nothing like that happened to her best friend.

* * *

Stefan found Vicki at the cemetery leaning against a grave and she was sobbing. It hurt to see her like that.

"Vicki." He said her name gently.

Vicki looked up at him immediately, her face tearstained. "I'm starting to remember things, what he is, what he said. I remember you. The hospital, the — the rooftop, it's all coming back."

"I'm so sorry." Stefan apologized, meaning it wholeheartedly. "Damon had no right to do this to you.

"He said that I needed to feed," Vicki breathed, her chest heaving hard. "What will happen if I don't?"

"You'll fade quickly…" Stefan trailed off but he continued a minute later. "And then, it'll all just be over."

"I'll be dead." She sobbed as she leaned her head back, tears falling from her eyes.

"Hey…" Stefan said in a comforting tone of voice as he slowly kneeled beside her.

"I don't want this…" Vicki sobbed again.

He gently touched her leg. "I know, it'll be okay…" he told her gently. "You're gonna be okay. I'll help you."

"Is it better?" Vicki whispered her question out. "Is it better? Will I be better?" Stefan looked down at the ground guiltily, unable to answer Vicki's question. "I wanna go home…will you take me home?" The question came out in a sob.

Stefan nodded, "Okay." He stood up and was just about to help Vicki up when there was a loud bang of a gunshot. While Vicki looked at him. Stefan looked down at himself seeing a gunshot wound his chest, blood seeping out of it.

Logan suddenly appeared gun in hand pointing at Stefan who fell the ground and groaned in pain. Logan got closer to him with the gun still pointing at Stefan. He bent down to him and pushed as hard as he could on the wound. Stefan stared up at him with pain filled eyes. Logan quickly took out a wooden stake.

"No!" Vicki screamed as Logan was about to stab him in the heart with the stake.

But then…Stefan watched with stunned horror as Charlene appeared out of nowhere, her face in full vampire mode, and she bit harshly into Logan's neck. The Fell screamed while he was getting drained of blood. This went on as Damon showed up and hurried over to Stefan. He plunged his fingers into his brother's wound and Stefan groaned as he took out the bullet from his chest. Charlene finally pulled back and tossed Logan's body off to the side. Her face turned back to normal with Logan's blood all over her mouth. Charlene's eyes met Stefan, causing a guilty look to appear on her face.

"I'm so sorry…" Charlene whispered. "I…I didn't want this…"

Stefan believed her but he couldn't believe Damon had gotten to her too. He cursed himself for bringing Charlene and Megan into this mess. His thoughts were broken by Damon speaking.

"It's wood." He said eying the bullet in-between his fingers. He titled his head to Logan, who they didn't notice was being fed on by Vicki. He wiped his mouth off and he looked down at Stefan with a smirk. "If anyone's going to kill you, it's going to be me. My ring."

Stefan took the ring out of his pocket and handed it to Damon.

"Mmm." Damon hummed as he slipped the ring on his finger and glanced down at it, glad to have it back.

Stefan turned his head towards Logan, finally noticing the fact that Vicki was sucking Logan's blood. "No! No! Vicki!" He exclaimed.

Vicki looked up from Logan, blood all over her face. She glanced back down at the body as she wiped her mouth before looking back at Stefan.

"I'm sorry," Vicki whispered, then she rushed off, leaving Damon and Stefan alone.

"Oops," Damon said. He patted Stefan on the shoulder and stood up. He noticed something on the ground and he went over to it, picking it up. Damon smirked seeing that it was thing he had been looking for. Then he turned to Charlene and nodded his head. "Come on, Charlene."

She left with him reluctantly, but not with one more glance towards Stefan.

Stefan stared after them, forcing himself up to his feet. How was he going to explain what happened to Charlene…to Megan? She was never going to forgive him for this.

* * *

After what seemed like forever waiting for Stefan to come back, Megan was sitting outside of Elena's house when he came back. She had just finished trying Charlene once again, but like before, she didn't pick up.

When he stepped up on the porch, Megan immediately noticed he was bleeding and she was worriedly instant. "Stefan! You're bleeding!" she exclaimed, concerned as she stepped over to him and touched his body to make sure nothing else was injured.

"It's okay." Stefan grasped her hands, stopping her. "I'm okay." He squeezed them before his expression changed to a more solemn one. "I couldn't stop her. I tried."

Her heart nearly stopped. "What do you mean?"

"She fed, and then I lost her."

Megan couldn't believe it. "Oh my god…"

"And there's something else…" Stefan glanced down at his feet. "Charlene…she…"

"What?" Megan demanded.

"Damon…he must have got to her too…he turned her…and she completed the transition…"

As soon as he told her this, everything seemed to freeze and Megan felt lightheaded. "No…no…she can't…she can't be a vampire! Not by best friend...you have to be lying…you have to be…"

"I wish I was Megan…" he said softly. "But I'll take care of it. I'll find Vicki…and I will show both her and Charlene that they can live I do. I will make sure they don't hurt anybody, Megan. I promise."

"What the hell am I supposed to tell Elena and Jeremy about their sister…and Matt?" she asked herself quietly.

"We'll make up a story…"

"In other words, you want me to lie!" Megan spit out.

"I'm sorry…"

She took a deep breath and let it out. "I know you are…but I can't do this…you gave me today and I know what I have to do…" she said. She said nothing for a moment. "I'll keep your secret, Stefan…but I can't be with you…not with this shit going on. I'm sorry…"

He didn't say anything as he slowly left and disappeared. Megan wanted to cry as she watched him leave. She hated to do this…but it had to be done. For her sake…and for the sake of her family and friends.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Haunted, Part 1...**

 **So, as you can see, I changed my mind about not turning Charlene later so she's gonna be changed now, so it's gonna change things. Hopefully it's good changes. Tell me what you thought about it. Anyway, until next time on Surviving Vampires 101! And please leave reviews!**


	17. Haunted, Part 1

****Disclaimer:**** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 ** **Author's Note:**** And here is the first part of Haunted! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

* * *

Tyler walked to his car after the end of his football practice, "Alright later man!"

"See ya bro!" One of his team mates yelled back to him as he headed to his car.

Before he could make it to his car, Tyler felt some sort of presence behind him so he looked around. There was nothing there… He shook his head, deciding that it was just his imagination, so he started walking again to his car. Once he was there, Tyler went to the back of his car and opened the trunk, putting his bag in it. He opened the driver seat and slipped into his car.

"Hi Ty."

Tyler jumped as he turned to face the familiar voice and he was shocked to find Vicki in the passenger seat. "Vicki!" he exclaimed as the brunette looked down at the floor of the car. "Everybody's been looking for you."

"I know…" she whispered out, and she still wouldn't meet his gaze for some reason Tyler didn't know.

A worried look appeared on Tyler's face. "Are you alright Vic?"

"I'm so cold." She responded, shivering all over.

"Are you on drugs?" Tyler continued questioning her. "Everyone thinks you're off on a bender."

Vicki sighed, her shoulders shaking. "I wish…"

"What happened in those woods, Vicki? Those kids that were killed, what did you see?"

She finally looked up at him as tears spilled over and dripped down her cheeks. "I'm so scared!" She sobbed loudly.

"Come here…" Tyler said soothingly as he pulled her into a tight hug and stroked her hair. "It's okay. I'll take you home.'

Vicki pulled back from the hug with tears still falling down her face. "I can't control it," she said, her voice shaking.

"Control what?" Tyler asked, confusion clear in his voice.

"I am so … hungry Ty," Vicki responded. Her voice sounding tight as if she was suppressing something and she looked like she was going to fall apart at any second. "And it won't go away."

"What are you on? What drugs did you take?"

Vicki growled so lowly under her breath that Tyler didn't hear her as she threw herself at him, burying her face into his neck. "I want it," she mumbled into his neck. "I'm so hungry, Ty."

"Okay, look, I'll get you something to eat. Just sit back." Tyler told her while he pushed her off of him gently. "Look, let's just get you home, Vicki."

He let out a scream when Vicki's face changed before his eyes into that of a demonic demon. He found himself out of his car as Vicki jumped onto his and forced his neck to the side. Just as she was about to bite him, she found herself being held back.

"Let go of me!" Vicki screeched, struggling in the arms of Stefan Salvatore.

Tyler quickly got to his feet and started to run but he stopped dead in his tracks when Damon Salvatore appeared in front of him. He looked to where Vicki was only to find Stefan holding her back. His eyes widened

"What's going on here, Stefan?" Tyler demanded once the surprise wore off. "What's wrong with her?"

"You don't talk," Damon said in a threatening voice as Tyler looked over at him.

Tyler scowled at the unknown man, "Screw you, dude."

"'Dude really?" Damon said sounding exasperated. "'Dude."

"Damon, don't," Stefan warned, still holding who by then had stopped trying to struggle.

Damon scoffed as he looked at his brother. "Oh come on," he said. "Who's going to miss this idiot?"

As soon as he said this, Tyler punched him into the face. Damon looked unfazed by this, of course.

"Don't you hurt him?!" Vicki growled loudly as she started to struggle again.

Before Tyler could even blink, he found himself being held by the neck, causing his breathing to be cut off. He tried to get Damon's hands off of him but it was no use…and he stopped when the black haired vampire stared into his eyes.

"Forget what you saw here tonight," Damon said, his pupils dilating as a blank look appeared on Tyler's face. "None of us were here."

With that, Damon tossed him over the car and Tyler fell to the ground loudly. He groaned in pain as he slowly got off of the ground and he looked around the empty parking lot bewithered, thinking,

 _'What in the hell just happened?'_

* * *

"Where the hell are you, Charlene Gilbert?!"

Charlene winced as her sister yelled at her over the phone. She was sitting in the Salvatore study, along with Vicki, Damon, and Stefan, trying to come up with something to tell her family why she was going to be gone for…god knows how long. Charlene hated lying, but she had no other choice. Even if she could tell the truth, who knew whether or not Elena would believe her. Charlene would rather stay stuck in a house than outside where she could hurt someone. That was the last thing she wanted to do, especially someone she cared about.

"I'm sorry, Lena." Charlene apologized, meaning it completely. "But…I just needed to get away for a while. I'm gonna be back, I promise." She heard her sister breathe heavily on the other end of the phone before her sister spoke again, her voice quiet.

"Did I do something?"

"No." Charlene's answer was instant. "It has nothing to do with you…it's just me…I just needed to get away from Mystic Falls just for a little bit. I'm not gonna be gone long." At least she hoped she wouldn't be.

There was a pause for a moment. "Okay…I'll tell Jenna…you do what you have to do, Charlie. I love you."

"I love you too, Lena. Always remember that…and tell Jeremy I love him too."

"I will. Bye…"

"Bye…" With that, Charlene hung up the phone and she slumped back in her seat, running her hand down her face. "Ugh, I hate lying to her like that…" She glanced up at Stefan, who shifted in his seat guiltily. She knew he felt bad that this happened to her but it wasn't his fault. It was Damon's.

Before Stefan could say anything to her, the whiny voice of Vicki Donavan interrupted him, causing Charlene to roll her eyes.

"I don't understand why I have to stay cooped up in here." She groaned. "Why can't I just go home?"

"Because you're changing, Vicki, and that's not something you want to do alone."

And the fact you could kill someone. Charlene wanted to add in sarcastically but she kept herself from saying.

"Charlene."

She looked up at Damon, an annoyed look crossing her face. "What Damon?"

"No need to be so hostile." He said, annoying her even more. Oh, she could be more than just hostile after what he did to her.

Seeing the look on Charlene's face, Stefan glared at him. "Damon, stop."

His older brother rolled his eyes as he turned his eyes back to the newspaper he was reading. "All I was gonna say, is that there's nothin' about that Logan guy Charlene killed in here."

Charlene flinched at the mention of that. Of course, he would remind her of that. She still regretted doing that, even if Logan Fell was a dick who treated her aunt like shit and he would have killed Stefan if she hadn't done anything.

"Not a word." Damon went on. "Someone's covering it up." He picked up the compass he found, next to Logan's body, and rolled it around in his hand.

Charlene noticed, and it looked familiar. Staring at it for a bit longer, she realized what it was and she stood up, crossing over to Damon only to jerk it out of Damon's grip before he could say anything.

"This is my father's old pocket watch." Charlene explained, and his eyes snapped to hers.

"Grayson Gilbert?"

She gave a nod. "Yeah…"

Damon frowned, taking the pocket watch back, earning a protest from her. "What was Logan Fell doing with it?" He stared at Charlene, like she knew the answer.

"How would I know?" Charlene protested. "But what I do know is that pocket watch is my families, so I need it back."

"Yeah, I don't think so, not until we know why Logan Fell had it." He leaned back in his seat and Charlene crossed her arms. "I mean, aren't you curious?"

Stefan took this chance to speak up. "Well, if you're so worried that somebody's onto you, why don't you just leave town, Damon?"

"We should all be worried."

Charlene didn't want to have to admit that Damon Salvatore was right, but he was. If someone knew about vampires, then all of them could be revealed, even the new ones like her and Vicki.

Speaking of Vicki, she changed the subject. "Hey, um, I'm hungry. Do you have anything to eat?"

She hadn't been thinking about it, but now that Vicki mentioned it, Charlene was hungry too. She hadn't had blood since last night.

"Yeah, me too." Charlene agreed.

"Here." Stefan handed both of them a cup.

Charlene peered inside of it before she drank it. There was definitely blood in it, but she leaned in and sniffed it. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. This was not human blood.

"What is it?" Vicki asked.

"It's what you're craving."

Damon snorted. "Don't lie to the girl." He told Stefan, rolling his eyes. "It's so not what you're craving, but it'll do in a pinch, right Stef?"

"This is definitely not human blood." Charlene said, making the mistake of sniffing it again and she gagged a bit. She cleared her throat as she moved the cup away from her face as well as her nose before speaking. "So, what is it?"

"Yeah, what is it?" Damon repeated, mockingly. "Is it skunk? Saint Bernard? Bambi?"

Oh, it was animal blood! Charlene should have known that. If Damon drank from humans, then of course Stefan drank from animals.

Stefan ignored him. "Go on. Give it a try."

Vicki took a drink but Charlene hesitated. It smelt gross. She didn't want to drink it…but this was much better than drinking from humans. So in the end, Charlene gave in and drank from the cup, and it tasted just as gross as it smelt. She forced herself to swallow, shuddering in the process.

"They're new. They need people blood." Damon said. "They can't sustain on that stuff."

Vicki licked her lips. "Yeah, why can't I have people blood?" she asked eagerly as Charlene took another drink. It tasted a little bit better but not by much.

"Yeah."

Stefan looked frustrated as he leaned forward. "Because it's wrong to prey on innocent people, Vicki."

"You don't have to kill to feed." Charlene looked up at him at that. They could? "Just find someone really tasty and then erase their memories their memories afterwards."

Charlene made a face. That sounded just as bad as killing someone. Even though it tasted horrible, she rather stick with animal blood.

"No, no, no." Stefan tried to get Vicki to listen. "There's no guarantee that you can control yourself, okay? It takes years to learn that. You could easily kill someone, and then you have to carry that with you for the rest of your life, which, if I haven't made clear, is eternity."

"Well, that's makes me feel loads better about being a vampire." Charlene mumbled sarcastically, downing the rest of the blood. She made a face in the process.

"Don't listen to him." Damon told Vicki, rolling his eyes as he stood up to his feet. "He walks on a moral plane way out of our eye line." He smirked. "I say snatch, eat, erase."

Vicki giggled while Charlene looked at him, disgusted. "Do you have to be a disgusting ass like all the time?"

"Of course my dear Charlene." Damon crossed over to her and patted her on the head like she was a dog. She jerked her head away immediately, glaring at him. "I wouldn't be me if I wasn't."

Charlene scoffed, rolling her eyes as she looked away from him.

"Hey, look at me." Stefan forced Vicki to look at him. "We choose our own path. Our values and our actions, they define who we are."

"Okay, count deepak. I'm outta here." With that, Damon left the study and Charlene was relieved he was gone…at least for the time being.

"Can I have some more?" Vicki questioned Stefan, hopefully.

He sighed in response as Charlene shook her head. Suddenly, a familiar scent filled her nose and it was coming from downstairs.

It was Megan's scent.

Charlene immediately stood to her feet. She needed to see her.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Haunted, Part 2...**

 **Happy people didn't mind me changing Charlene into a vampire earlier! :) I think it'll bring on a good change. Of course, she won't share the same fate as Vicki obviously but I'm excited to see what's going to happen to Charlene and how she's gonna deal with being a vampire...but your also probably wondering whose going to train, well you'll have to read to find out. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and keep them coming! Until next time on Surviving Vampires 101!**


	18. Haunted, Part 2

****Disclaimer:**** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 ** **Author's Note:**** And here is the second part of Haunted! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

* * *

Megan tried to keep herself from going over to the boarding house, but she couldn't stop herself anymore. She needed to see Charlene to make sure her best friend was okay. She still hadn't wrapped her mind around the fact that Charlene was a vampire now. Though it was weird and horrifying, Charlene was still her best friend and she was going to be there for her no matter what. Megan wanted to make sure Charlene knew that, which was why she was going over there…and to see Stefan, just to make sure he was helping her best friend like he said he would. At least that's what she was telling herself.

Megan got out of her car and headed up to the front door, knocking. She was hoping Stefan would open the door, but she got the opposite. The man who turned her best friend was the one who opened the door and Megan glared at him hatefully.

"You." She growled.

"Hello Megan." He responded casually, so casually she wanted to smack him in the face for it. If she was nicer, she wouldn't have, but good thing she wasn't. So, she smacked him right across the face…and boy did it hurt, but oh so worth it.

When he faced towards her again, he rubbed his face and Megan glared at him again. "That's for turning my best friend, you asshole!" she hissed. He said nothing and she crossed her arms. "Now, where's Stefan?"

Damon was still rubbing his cheek as he responded sarcastically, "Well good morning to you, little miss 'I'm on a mission'."

"Oh shut up, I'm not in the mood." Megan snapped, her glare hardening at him as she stood her ground against him. It may make her stupid for telling a killer to shut up, but she couldn't give a damn, not after everything he did. He turned Vicki. He turned Charlene. He didn't deserve any amount kindness that she had in her heart.

"How can you be so brave and stupid to tell a vampire to shut up?" Damon asked snidely.

"Because I'm not scared of you." Which was a lie, she was terrified but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of scaring her. "And if you wanted me dead in the first place, I'd already be dead and it's either because you _actually_ care about your brother, or the fact that you don't want to make Charlene hate you even more than she already does since you turned her. So, take your pick."

He said nothing and Megan smirked to herself as she never seen Damon speechless before.

Soon she had a reaction as Damon rolled his eyes. "Stefan's upstairs." He said shortly. "Singing, 'the rain in Spain.' Knock yourself out." He pushed by her, practically shoving out of the way, causing her glare back after him as he closed the door.

Megan rolled her eyes as she stepped further into the house. "Stefan?" she called out. She heard running footsteps from upstairs. As she thought it was Stefan, it was surprised when it was Charlene coming down the stairs. She paused at the top of the stairs and stared down at Megan.

Her best friend still looked the same. Megan hadn't know what to expect when she saw Charlene for the first time since she got turned, but to see that Charlene hadn't changed one bit, it was an instant relief. It was still her best friend. Before she could even say anything, Charlene was down the stairs so fast that it nearly gave her whiplash. Her blonde friend tossed herself at her, hugging her tightly.

Immediately, Megan hugged her back just as tightly, burying her face into her best friend's blonde hair. She wasn't scared to be close to her, even though she should be. The smell of Megan's blood could be too much for Charlene, but it didn't seem to bother her.

"Megan…I'm so sorry…" Charlene sobbed into her shoulder.

She was taken back by the apology. "What…what are you sorry for?" She pushed her back and brushed Charlene's hair out of her face. "This isn't your fault, Char. It's Damon's fault. This wasn't your choice."

Charlene slowly shook her head, sniffing. "Maybe not at first…but I chose to drink human blood…and become a monster…M-Megan…I killed someone."

Megan froze at her best friend's admission. "W-what?" She stepped back, trying and failing not look horrified.

Seeing the look on her face, Charlene's face took on a pleading look. "Megan, please don't be afraid of me!" she begged. "I didn't mean to…but he was going to hurt Stefan! I couldn't just let him die…"

"I'm not afraid of you." Megan finally said quietly after she got over her shock. "You're still my best friend…I know you would never hurt me."

Charlene nodded vehemently. "I wouldn't! And I'm not going to drink human blood, never again. I'm going to stick with animal blood and I'm sure with Stefan's help, I won't kill or hurt anyone else again."

Megan believed her. "I believe you. You don't have an evil bone in your body." She hugged Charlene tightly and her best friend hugged her back. They held the hug for a few minutes before Megan pulled away. "Where's Stefan?"

Charlene didn't have time to answer as Stefan's voice echoed through the room.

"Megan?"

She looked up and spotted Stefan coming down the stairs. "Hey…" she greeted quietly, trying not to sound too upset to see him.

"Hey."

Megan quickly changed the subject, remembering there was another new human turned vampire. "How's Vicki doing?"

Charlene was the one who answered as she rolled her eyes. "She's still Vicki."

"So what's going to happen now anyway?" Megan questioned. "Jeremy's out there searching for her with the rest of the town."

"He is?" Charlene didn't sound surprised, but she sounded worried, and Megan couldn't blame her as she nodded.

"Yeah, but since you're here, you can't tell him why he can't be searching for her, so he's not going to stop unless someone tells him, and god knows he won't listen to me if I do tell him something."

"I'll call him and tell him." Charlene said, crossing her arms. "He can't find her, he'll get hurt if he does." She gave a sigh. "But what do I tell him?" She looked towards Stefan as she asked the question.

"As you saw, I'm working with her, but it's not going to take time." Stefan answered. "She's not taking it as well as you are, Charlene. She's a very volatile and impulsive personality. She's a drug user. I mean, all of that's gonna play a part in how she responds to this."

"Well, that's just great." Megan groaned. "She's a vampire with issues…" She rolled her eyes and shook her head before looking towards Stefan. "So, what's going to happen to her?"

"I'm going to keep her here until I know that she's safe."

"How long is that?"

Megan, Stefan, and Charlene looked up to Vicki standing on top of the stairs, arms crossed with an annoyed look on her face.

Stefan sighed. "We can talk about that later."

Megan shouldn't have probably asked her this, but she couldn't help it as she had been worried about the young Donavan, mostly because of Jeremy's sake. "Hi, Vicki, how are you?"

This earned a glare as Vicki scoffed. "How am I? You're kidding, right?"

Megan winced at her tone. "Oops, sorry." She apologized.

Vicki rolled her eyes. "Whatever…" she sneered before stomping her way back upstairs.

"That was probably a stupid question, wasn't it?" Megan asked meekly, knowing the answer already. The touch on her shoulder and the nod coming from Charlene was answer enough, causing her to sigh.

* * *

About an hour later, Charlene was settled down in a seat next to Megan around the boarding house's dining room table, drinking a cup of coffee along with Vicki. She was happy that she and Megan's reunion went well. It could have went a lot worse. Surprisingly, Megan's blood hadn't bothered Charlene at all when they hugged.

She couldn't help but wonder why that was, maybe it was because Megan was her best friend and her soulmate in every sense of the word, but without a romantic interest involved, or because she couldn't bare the thought of killing Megan, the way she had killed Logan. Whatever it was, Charlene was happy nothing had happened when she saw Megan for the first time since turning into a vampire. She snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of Stefan explaining why coffee was important for vampires.

"Coffee is our friend." Stefan said, sounding like he was doing a voice over for a coffee commercial. "It's the caffeine. It circulates through our veins, and it warms our body so we're not so cold to the touch."

Vicki's hands wrapped around her coffee mug but she didn't take a drink from it. "Well, what if I wanted to drink human blood?" She sounded eager, asking the question. Too eager.

Charlene felt Megan shudder against her and she rubbed her best friend's back. She knew the vampire thing was going to be difficult to swallow for a while, but she was content in the fact that Megan wasn't afraid of her.

"You're gonna have to learn to live with that urge and fight it on a daily basis, one day at a time." Stefan answered, glancing at both Vicki and Charlene.

"Good thing I don't want to drink human blood, then." Charlene said, leaning back in her seat. Though in the back of her mind, she knew she was going to have to fight that urge too and it wouldn't be easy.

Vicki rolled her eyes at Stefan's words, groaning out loud too. "Oh god! Don't start with that whole 12 steps thing. School counselor has been down that road, and it doesn't work for me."

"It can work." Stefan told her seriously. "It's your choice, Vicki."

"So, you've never tasted human blood?" Vicki asked eagerly, a glint in her eyes.

The question must have been an uncomfortable subject if the look on Stefan's face was any hint. As he answered, he didn't look at Megan, or Charlene as both of them stared at him.

"Not in a very long time."

"How long?"

"Years and years, I'm not proud of my past behavior."

That was good to know, but it was still shocking to Charlene and Megan to think that Stefan could have drank human blood.

"Does this sketchy feeling ever go away? It's like I have a massive hangover!" Vicki ranted, standing up to her feet. "This daylight thing is a bitch! I need more blood. Where's your bathroom? I have to pee. Why do I have to pee?! I thought I was dead!" She stormed out of the room, leaving Charlene, Megan, and Stefan alone.

"I'm going to, uh…I'm gonna get her some more." Stefan cleared his throat awkwardly. "Alright? I'll be right back."

"Can you get me some too?" Charlene voiced before he could leave.

He nodded in response and left the room. Charlene turned her head to find Megan staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to the fact that you drink blood now…" Megan responded.

"Yeah…" Charlene laughed dryly. "Me either, but this is my life now, thanks to Damon fucking Salvatore."

"Speaking of that, I smacked him right across the face." Megan told her and Charlene's mouth fell open for a moment before she fell into a fit of giggles.

"Really?!" she managed to say in between giggles. "I wish I…could have been there."

Megan giggled too. "Yeah, it was pretty hilarious. You should have seen the look on his face. And damn, it felt good. He deserved it after what he did to you."

Charlene nodded in agreement as she giggled again. "He definitely did." Silence fell between them. Despite what had happened, it still felt like it always did. Just two best friends enjoying each other's company.

The silence didn't last long as Vicki came back into the room. "False alarm." She announced. "My body's feeling funky. It's a good funk, but it's weird, and I still don't get how you seem to be taking this wayyyyy too well, Gilbert."

Charlene rolled her eyes internally. Well, it was better than acting the way Vicki was. But she was right about that. Charlene was taking this way too well, but she wasn't upset by that. She was glad.

Vicki pulled her phone and started punching in a number.

Charlene watched her wearily, hoping Vicki wasn't calling who she thought it was. "Vicki, who are you calling?"

"Jeremy."

And that's what Charlene was afraid of. Going into sister protective mode, she stood up from her seat.

"Vicki, you can't be calling him and you definitely can't see him." Charlene said stiffly.

In response, the Donavan rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, don't you start with that sister protective crap, Gilbert. I'm gonna see whoever I want."

"Not Jeremy." Charlene snapped, glaring at her. "You could hurt him."

"So could you." Vicki countered back. "Besides, I would never hurt Jeremy.'

"And neither would I, but I wouldn't take that risk. That's my brother and I'll be damned if you think I'm going to let you see him and risk him getting hurt, especially by you. So, you need to let Jeremy go."

Vicki took on a defensive stance as she put away her phone and glared at Charlene. "Oh really? And how long have you been preparing the 'you're not good enough' speech? I'm assuming it predates the whole vampire thing."

"I don't have to give a speech, you already know that you're not good enough for Jeremy." Charlene said, cool and collected. This outraged Vicki as it was all over her face. "Jeremy's a good kid, even if he hasn't acted like it the past six months since our parents died. He's not getting involved in any of this. I mean it, Vicki."

"Or what?" Vicki suddenly grabbed Charlene by the throat and shoved her against the wall, choking her.

"Charlene!" Megan was about to jump in and help her but Charlene put a stop to it.

"Don't!" she managed to shout, stopping her best friend in her tracks. Then she looked back at Vicki, who tightened her grip on her neck.

"Listen to me, you perky little bitch, I'm going to see Jeremy whenever I wanna see Jeremy, because I have some fun new toys to play with, and I won't think twice about ripping your little head off. Got it?" Vicki almost released her but Charlene wasn't backing out without a fight as she managed to grab Vicki by the neck and slammed her against the wall, like she did to her.

Unlike with Vicki, Charlene's face turned right in front of Megan but she didn't notice as she gripped Vicki's neck tighter that Vicki had.

Vicki choked as she clawed at Charlene's fingers around her neck, but the blonde only tightened her grip.

"Now, it's time for you to listen!" Charlene snarled. "If you touched one hair on my brother's head, I won't hesitate in putting my hand in your chest and taking out your heart, so stay the fuck away from him!"

"Charlene, stop!" Megan screamed, somehow managing to snap her out of it.

The blonde's face turned back to normal and she released Vicki, letting the brunette fall to the floor, gasping for air. Charlene glanced back at Megan, who looked horrified, then she looked at Vicki. Guilt went through her.

"I got to go…" Charlene said quickly, rushing out of the room. Her eyes welled with tears as she ran.

What the hell did she just do?

* * *

Megan stood outside with Stefan, rubbing her arms as she shivered. She couldn't believe what she just witnessed. Never in a million years did Megan think she would ever see her best friend like that. Charlene normally was calm and level-headed, never letting anger get the better of her…but now…she acted like a completely different person. Though she didn't look different, Charlene changed…

Megan had meant her earlier words. Charlene was still her best friend and would be there for her…but now, she didn't think she would be enough to help Charlene.

"I can't believe that happened…" Megan voiced to Stefan quietly. "That wasn't my best friend…"

"It's still Charlene, Megan." Stefan tried to assure her. "She just needs time to adjust to what has happened to her even if it looked like she was handing it well…she was probably just trying to ignore what happened to her…and what happened with Vicki…she was only trying to protect her brother."

Megan said nothing for a few minutes. "I know…but why did Vicki threaten Charlene like that?"

"She's on edge. Imagine every sense in your body operating at super speed. I mean, she's uncomfortable in her own skin. And then when you throw in her other issues…"

"Well, how long will it take for her to get back to normal?" Well, as normal as you could get as a vampire. "Days? Weeks? Months?"

"There's no rule book."

Megan nodded slowly before deciding to ask him a personal question. "So…how long exactly did it take you to control it?" she asked softly.

"A while, but I didn't have anybody helping me. I had to do it on my own. The thing is it's hard to resist certain people especially when you're new, it's difficult to separate your feelings. Love, lust, angry, desire…it can all roll into one urge, hunger."

Megan paused for a moment. "What does that even mean?"

"Like Charlene told her, Vicki needs to stay away from Jeremy and he can't see her, not now. She might not be able to resist him, and she could hurt him."

"Or worse…" Megan mumbled. Though it had been shocking to see, Charlene was right to have fought back against Vicki. If it had been her and Vicki was threating to hurt Bonnie, she would have done the same thing.

"I'm going to let anyone get hurt." Stefan tried to assure her, but it wasn't working.

Megan shook her head. "And I hope your right and no one does." She sighed as she started to move away from Stefan. "I need to get going…"

Stefan tried to stop her. "Megan…"

She jerked away from his touch. "No, I'm sorry, but I only came to check on Charlene. I still meant what I said. I can't be with you…there's only so much I can take." Without looking at Stefan, Megan left the boarding house.

* * *

Locked up in her room after what happened, Charlene had her face buried into her pillow. She still hadn't gotten over what she had done. She scared her best friend, something she never wanted to do. But she had been angry, angry at Vicki for threatening her and for threatening to see Jeremy. Charlene couldn't let her brother get hurt. He had been hurt too many times and she didn't want another thing to happen to him.

"What are you doing?"

Charlene heard Damon's voice. "Leave me alone…" she mumbled into her pillow.

"Oh come on, Charlene."

"No." Charlene snapped, finally lifting her head from her pillow. Tears were still streaming down her face.

"Oh, what happened wasn't so bad." Damon said to her, sitting down on the bed. Of course, he knew what happened. "You're a vampire now, anger's just one of those things that comes with the territory."

Charlene sniffed and wiped her face as she sat up in the bed, meeting Damon's gaze. She said nothing for a moment before finally asking the question that had been on her mind since it happened.

"Why did you turn me, Damon? What was the point of it all?" she questioned.

It was his turn not to say anything for a moment. "I was…bored." It felt like it was more to it than just boredom, but it honestly didn't matter.

"Seriously? You did this out of boredom?" Charlene scoffed. "Wow, you really are a dick."

Damon smirked. "Thank you."

"It's not a compliment." Charlene said dryly. He shrugged and she rolled her eyes, laying her head back down on her pillow. "Whatever…just go away…" Instead of doing that, Damon managed to tug her out of bed. Instantly, she was on edge. "What…what are you doing?!"

"Come on, you need to get out of this house. No wonder you're going crazy."

"I am not!" Charlene tried to pull away from him but Damon was stronger. "Daaaaaamon!"

He ignored her and tugged her out of the bedroom. She didn't want to be alone with him. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Charlene wasn't as Damon brought along Vicki.

Stefan was already there as they came into the room. "What are you doing?"

"She's been cooped up in your room all day, and Charlene needs a change of scenery."

"No, I don't! He brought me here unwillingly!" Charlene protested, still trying to get Damon to let her go.

"No, no." Stefan protested, trying to stop them from going out the door. "Hey, hey, now's not the time for this."

"If you're gonna teach them. Teach them. Show them what it's all about."

"They could hurt someone." Stefan tried to protest.

Charlene was appalled Stefan would say that, but after what happened with Vicki earlier, she couldn't blame him.

Damon rolled his eyes. "I'm not taking them to Disneyland. We're going to the front yard. Come on."

They finally got out the door, but Stefan still followed them. "Bad idea, Damon."

Charlene knew it probably was, but it felt good to be outside, feeling the wind in her face. She closed her eyes at the feeling.

"They're vampires, Stefan." Damon said, causing Charlene to open her eyes. "They need to know the perks."

"Like what?" Vicki asked excitedly.

"Like…" Damon was gone in a blink, then back in an instant, now standing behind Vicki, who whirled around to face him with wide, excited eyes.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed. "How did you do that?"

Damon smirked widely, nudging Vicki in the side. "Come on, Vicki, live a little. No pun intended." He then turned his smirk to Charlene. "So should you, Charlie."

Charlene crossed her arms and stayed in her spot, but Vicki was gone…and didn't come back.

"Oops." Damon said immediately as Charlene and Stefan glared at him.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Haunted, Part 3...**

 **Another interesting chapter, huh? I enjoyed writing it. This is one of my favorite episodes in this first season, I just love everything about it, but I love it even more now that I've written it with Charlene and Megan involved! Anyway, I should get to bed like I should have a couple hours ago but I wanted to finish this chapter, so hopefully I don't regret it when I wake up in the morning haha.**

 **Leave reviews and let me know what you thought! Until next time!"**


	19. Haunted, Part 3

****Disclaimer:**** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 ** **Author's Note:**** And here is the second part of Haunted! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

* * *

After arguing with Stefan for what seemed like forever, Charlene managed to convince him to let her check on her family. To make sure Vicki hadn't gotten to Jeremy yet. She quickly knocked on the door and Jeremy was the one to open it, surprised to see her.

"Charlie?"

Charlene sighed in relief. "You're okay!"

"Of course I am…why wouldn't I be?"

She shook her head. "Doesn't matter…I'm just glad you're okay, Jer."

"What are you doing here? Thought you left." Jeremy turned to head back towards the kitchen and Charlene tried to follow, but found herself unable to get in.

She pushed but it felt as if there was barrier there. "Um Jer?" she called. He ducked his head around the corner, staring at her oddly.

"What are still standing there for? Come in here."

Charlene tried again and this time, she was able to step inside. She was confused for a moment before she realized that she had to be invited in. Stupid vampire rules. Charlene shook her head as she followed Jeremy into the kitchen. She watched him, leaning against the doorway while he opened the fridge.

"Where's Elena?" Charlene asked, breaking the silence.

"She went to that Halloween party." He answered. Oh right, she had forgotten that was tonight.

Charlene crossed her arms across her chest. "Right…are…are you gonna go?"

He gave a shrug. "No."

"I would go, Jer…it might take your mind off of Vicki." Jeremy stopped and looked at her. "I heard about what happened…but it might be best to just…let her go…she needs help…and I don't think being with her right now would be the right thing to do…"

An angry look crossed Jeremy's face and Charlene winced at the sight. "What does that even mean, 'let her go'? Oh, okay, sure. Since we're such experts on letting people go, right?"

Charlene sighed heavily. "Jeremy, I don't want to fight. I'm just…I'm just trying to protect you…"

"I don't need protecting! Not from her!" He glared at Charlene.

"Jer…"

"Look." Jeremy took a deep breath and let it out, meeting his sister's eyes. "For months after mom and dad died, I felt like crap, 'nothing really even mattered' crap. Now, all of the sudden, I get these moments and things started feeling a little bit better, and Vicki was in every single of 'em. So, you may not see it, but trust me. Keeping me away from her is not for the best."

Before he could storm off, Charlene quickly spoke up. "I'm sorry…I know I don't have the right to tell you who you can't be around…and I know Vicki has been there for you since our parents died…but just because someone has been there for you, doesn't mean they're good for you…and Vicki isn't…you deserve so much more than you think, Jeremy Gilbert, and I hate that you don't see that. You're my little brother, Jer, and I'm always gonna be there to protect you, even if you don't feel like you need it." He didn't say anything as he finally stormed off to the stairs.

Charlene sighed, staring where her brother once was. She tried, but she wasn't going to give up. She couldn't let Vicki near her brother. Charlene returned to the boarding house a couple hours later with a large Halloween bag in her hands. She went into the room she was staring in for the time being and tossed the bag into the bed before rummaging through it.

"Charlene? What are you doing?" It was Stefan.

"I'm going to the Halloween party at school. Elena's there and I think Jeremy is too, I need to make sure they're safe."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Charlene. You can't be around a large group of people."

Charlene looked towards him immediately. "I'm not going to hurt anyone, Stefan." She snapped. "I can control myself…you saw how I was with Megan. I didn't hurt her."

"You could have…after what happened with Vicki."

"But I didn't." Charlene reminded him. "I couldn't do that to Megan. She's too important to me for me to even think about hurting her. And if you're really worried about me hurting someone, come with me. Even got you a costume since I knew you would argue with me about going." She tossed him a white shirt and leather jacket, which he caught looking bewithered. "You're going as the Fonz from Happy Days. I'll see you downstairs in thirty minutes. Okay? Good." She said quickly at the end so he couldn't protest before going into the bathroom with her own costume to change into it, leaving Stefan standing there.

* * *

Loud music and joyful laughter echoed as Megan stepped into the Halloween party, dressed in her costume. She decided to go as an Angel. It was actually the one she wore to last year's Halloween party. There wasn't any time to pick out another costume, considering all the craziness that was happening.

Megan looked around for Bonnie and Caroline. They weren't that hard to find as she spotted them dressed in witches' costumes, standing behind a black caldron where kids were taking candy out of it. She gave a smile as she headed over there.

"Hey guys." Megan greeted, stopping in front of them. "Nice costumes."

Caroline beamed. "Thanks! It was my idea." She stated proudly.

Bonnie rolled her eyes but smiled. "You look good too, sis. But isn't that last year's costume?"

She nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, but whatever, I rather pick the same costume, then figure out a new one to wear."

Her sister just nodded as Tyler Lockwood came up to the three of them with a wide grin, holding onto a couple drinks.

"Cider for the ladies." He announced, grin widening as he handed them over. "It's the Lockwood special."

Megan made a face at that, remembering what happened the last time she had the _famous_ Lockwood special. She had a headache for days.

"I think I'll pass." Megan said as she shoved her drink back into Tyler's hand. "After what happened last time, I swore I would have drink another one of those."

"Same here." Bonnie agreed, but she kept her drink. "Last year I was hung over until Thanksgiving."

"Lightweights." Caroline teased as she rolled her eyes. "I am going to drink until someone is hot enough to make out with."

Tyler smirked. "Sounds like a place."

The blonde grinned and they clicked their cups together. Megan shook her head. Wow, if she didn't know any better Caroline and Tyler would be great together.

"I'll see you guys later." Megan spoke, changing the subject. "Have you seen Elena?" the question was directed towards Bonnie.

"Yeah, she's with Matt. Last time I saw her, they went that way." Her sister pointed and Megan nodded.

"Okay, thanks." With that, she went off to find Elena and Matt.

* * *

Sitting on a booth in the Mystic Grill sat Mr. Richard Lockwood, who was dressed as Gatsby from the book the Great Gatsby, and Mrs. Carole Lockwood dressed as Daisy Buchanan from the same book.

"How many martinis have you had?" Richard questioned as he watched his wife take a sip of her drink.

"Oh don't start with me," Carole warned as she took the stick of olives out of her drink.

"Can we go now? We're late for the Halloween party, let's go," Richard said taking a drink of his drink.

"You go right ahead," Carole told her husband, a little annoyed. "I would like to finish my drink."

She sat down the olives as her husband put his drink down and left the booth. A sound from behind her caused Carole to turn around and she saw the man that Caroline Forbes had taken to the Founder's party. His name was Damon if she remembered correct. He held up his drink to her in greeting with a sexy smile on his face. Carole bit back a smile as she faced forward again taking another sip of her drink. She looked up and saw Damon. Her eyes followed his movements until he was sitting across from her.

"Let me guess, Daisy Buchanan," Damon guessed with a smirk. "I love a good "Gatsby" look."

"I've met you before," Carole told him. "Aren't you Caroline Forbes' boyfriend?"

"Ah she had a school girl crush on me. It was cute but I had to let her down easy."

"It's Damon, right?" Carole asked, hoping that she remembered his name right.

"Ah you remember," Damon said in reply.

"Well you have a face that's hard to forget," Carole flirted. "What's your last name Damon?"

Damon hesitated for a moment before finally replying, "Salvatore."

"Salvatore?" Carole repeated surprised.

Damon nodded, "Mm hmm."

"Are you any relation to Zach?" Carole asked.

"He's my uncle." Damon leaned forward looking deep in Carole's eyes trying to compel her, "How do you know Zach?" But too bad for him to compulsion didn't work.

"Is something wrong?" Carole questioned, confused.

"Yeah. I think I got something in my eye." Not showing it on his face, Damon was surprised that the compulsion didn't work.

"Well, I know Zach from the founder's council," Carole answered. "You know the Salvatore's were one of the town's original settlers."

Finally, Damon saw the bracelet on her wrist, releasing then why the compulsion didn't work. "Yeah they were." He said. "I wasn't aware that Zach was a member. I just recently moved back home and haven't really had a chance to meet many of his friends."

"Well, will you tell him to return my calls? I've left several messages."

"Zach went out of town for a bit," Damon said quickly coming up with an excuse. He quieted down his voice as he leaned towards her. "But if it's about the vervain…"

Carole looked surprised, "You know about the vervain."

"Well I am a Salvatore," Damon said like it was obvious. "Of course I do."

"Of course." Carole agreed with a smile.

"Mmm." Damon held up his drink with a smirk. "Cheers."

They clicked glasses as Damon gestured to the bartender to get them more drinks.

* * *

After searching for what seemed like forever, Megan finally found Elena and Matt, and Jeremy was with them too. Something that surprised her, considering she thought he would still be searching for Vicki.

"Megan." Elena greeted her with a bright smile as she came up to the three of them. She was dressed her last year's costume and so was Matt, making Megan laugh.

"I see you two had the same idea as I did." She said, amused.

Elena giggled. "Yeah, I didn't know I was going until an hour ago. I didn't know Jeremy was coming though. He said Charlene convinced him to come."

"Oh…" Charlene must have convinced Stefan to let her go see Jeremy. "Did you see her?"

She shook her head. "No, I had already left for the party when she came. I'm just glad that she's back. I was worried about her."

"Well, that's good." Megan nodded before changing the subject, turning towards Jeremy. "Decided not to dress up?"

He just scowled as he went off, disappearing into the crowd. Megan stared, confused.

"What did I say?"

"Just ignore him." Elena assured her. "He's just upset he hasn't seen Vicki yet."

This made her stop. "Wait, what? She's here?"

Of course she was!

"I got to go!" Megan said loudly, hurrying off and ignoring Elena calling her name. She had to find Vicki before she hurt Jeremy, or anyone else!

* * *

As soon as they got to Halloween party, Charlene and Stefan went their separate ways to find Vicki, hopefully before anything happened.

Charlene searched through the crowd, trying to ignore all the beating hearts in the room as best as she could. She kept telling herself not to cause a scene and that she could control herself from doing anything to hurt someone. But… the sound of blood pumping through the air was almost too much to bare.

Charlene held her breath, trying not to smell the air. She knew if she did she would lose control. Before she could even think about doing that, Charlene bumped into Megan.

"Charlene!" Her best friend sounded relived to see her, which surprised her considering what had happened earlier but it was a good surprise. "Vicki…she's here!"

Immediately, the blonde grabbed Megan by the shoulders. "Where is she?"

"I don't know! I haven't found her, but she dressed up as a vampire." Megan explained, trying and failing to stay calm. "And Char…Jeremy's here."

Her body froze at those. No. The one time he would listen to her, it had to be today of all days.

"We got to find her before she finds Jeremy." Charlene finally said before grabbing Megan's hand and they started running. If Vicki found Jeremy first, Charlene would never forgive herself.

* * *

Vicki wandered into the school with a large crowd around her. As she walked through the crowd and bumped into people, she couldn't help but stare at all the bare necks. A hunger unimaginable filled her and a pounding headache overcame her and she forced herself not to do something that she would regret.

Then out of nowhere, she was whisked away out of the room and found herself face to face with the person she was trying to avoid. Stefan Salvatore.

"What? Are you follow me now?" Vicki questioned, annoyed.

"You didn't give me much of a choice." Stefan answered seriously.

Vicki headed to the door but Stefan quickly stood in front of it, blocking her from the one way that she could leave. "Let me out of here!" She demanded angrily, glaring at him.

"You shouldn't be here Vicki, crowds like this makes it even harder for you to keep yourself under control." Stefan warned.

"I'm fine." Vicki said, trying to sound as convincing as she could.

It didn't work on Stefan. "Really?"

Vicki nodded. "Mm-hmm."

"No headache? Your stomach's not screaming at you? You're not feeling lightheaded or anxious or cranky like if someone looks at you the wrong way you could just rip their head off?" Stefan said question after question, ignoring Vicki as her nostrils flared at him. "Do you wanna know what that's called? It's called _hunger_ and it's only gonna get worse and worse every minute that you pretend like it's not controlling you."

Vicki shook her head in disbelief, trying to think of a way to get out of this room.

* * *

Damon was now sitting next to Mrs. Lockwood so they could talk without someone hearing them. "So, you need vervain?" he questioned, making sure he heard her right.

"Yes." Carole answered in a quiet voice. "My husband and I only have left what his parents left him." She started to use hand gestures as she continued, "And Zach had promised that he could supply us with more."

"Well I talk to him all the time, so why don't I just ask him?" Damon suggested, taking a drink.

"Hmm." She hummed as she took a sip of her drink as well.

Damon sat down his drink. "How much do you need? I mean, how many people, you think."

"Well, there's our children of course,"

"Of course."

"And, um, family, friends…and everyone on the counsel," Carole told him, taking another drink as Damon looked at her intensely.

"The counsel?" he questioned.

"Zach knows how many," Carole answered. She laughed, "But I am so late…my husband is not going to be happy with me." She laughed again as she took another long drink before sitting it down.

"Are you happy with your husband?" Damon asked intensely.

"You're flirting with me." Carole pointed out with a smile.

"Well, you flirted with me first."

"True." Carole agreed. Both of them laughed.

"Let me escort you to the school." Damon offered as Carole took another drink. "It's not safe out there alone. I mean, I've seen 10 vampires tonight."

Carole giggled, knowing he was joking. "Heh, well if only the real ones were easy to find."

"How's the search going?"

"Oh, we had the founder's party and anyone who arrived during the day was eliminated as a subject."

"Oh." _Well, that was good to know._ Damon smirked to himself.

Carole nodded. "And all the rest were just dead ends." She took one final drink and sat it down before slowly getting up to her feet. "So, I got to go."

"Okay." With that, the two left the Grill. Damon smirked to himself the whole way, happy because of all the information he got.

* * *

Megan quickly followed behind Charlene as they searched for Vicki. Her best friend frantically looked around.

"Where could she be at?!" she exclaimed, freaking out in a very un-Charlene way. She was always the calm one, but not this time.

"We'll find her, Char." Megan tried to assure her friend, turning her around to face her. "She's not gonna hurt, Jeremy."

Before the blonde could even say anything, Stefan showed up, holding onto Vicki tightly by the arm.

"Stefan!" Charlene cried out in relief, actually pulling him into a hug.

When she pulled back from the hug, he stared at her. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing now, I'm just glad you found her before she found Jeremy." Charlene responded, glaring at Vicki. The brunette simply glared back at her.

"Yeah, we were worried." Megan added, looking awkward as Stefan turned his gaze to her.

Just then, Elena and Matt showed up. Vicki's brother eyed Stefan, seeing his tight grip on his sister's arm.

"What's going on?" Matt questioned as Elena watched on, confused.

Stefan tried to smile reassuringly. "Hey, um, everything's fine."

Obviously seeing her chance, Vicki tore her arm from Stefan's tight grip. "I told you to quit bothering me!"

"Vicki." Charlene hissed, her eyes starting to change a bit as anger built up inside of her at Vicki for doing that. Elena noticed and her eyes widened at bit. Charlene noticed her reaction, causing her to rein in her anger as her eyes went back to normal.

Vicki ignored her. "Matty, he won't leave me alone." She told her brother, putting as much fright as she could in her voice.

"You need to back off, man." Matt said forcefully, glaring at Stefan as he took a step forward.

Megan quickly grabbed onto his arm as she tried to pull him back. "Matt, stop. It's okay."

"No, it's not!" Matt barked angrily, tearing his arm out of her grip. "What the hell is your problem?!"

Before Stefan could say anything, Charlene interrupted. "Stefan! She's gone!" She took off running and Megan was about to follow but Elena grabbed onto her.

"Megan, what's going on?" she demanded.

Megan tried to pull her arm away. "I'm sorry, but I can't explain! Not now!" she managed to get her arm out of Elena's grip, then she took off running after Charlene.

* * *

Charlene pushed through the crowd, ignoring the protests coming from her fellow students. She ignored every one of them as she searched for Vicki once again. She was so angry that the brunette got away again and she almost gave away her secret to Elena after her eyes changed. Charlene swore to God if Vicki hurt Jeremy the girl was going to regret it. She felt someone grab her arm and she whirled around, preparing for a fight but she relaxed when she saw that it was Megan.

"Megan, don't scare me like that." Charlene said, sighing.

"Sorry. I want to help you find Vicki."

Her eyes softened at her best friend. "Thank you…and Megan…I'm sorry about what happened."

"Forget about it." Megan told her. "You were only trying to protect your brother." She grabbed her hand. "Now come on, let's find Vicki…together."

Charlene smiled in response, squeezing Megan's hand. Together, hand in hand, they ran off to find Vicki.

They ran all the way to where the buses were held at the school. That was when they heard a scream. A very familiar scream.

"Jeremy!" Charlene's eyes widened. Instead of using human speed, she used her vampire speed instead. She needed to if she was going to save Jeremy.

She managed to grab a wooden board to use as a stake as she appeared just in time to see Vicki attacking Jeremy.

"Vicki! Get the fuck away from him!" Charlene roared, her face immediately changing, fangs growing.

Vicki tossed Jeremy roughly off to the side and zoomed over to her. Charlene did the same but Vicki managed to grab her first, throwing her into a pile of garbage.

Since she wasn't human, it didn't even hurt and Charlene jumped up to her feet. She snarled at Vicki as she ran towards her, stake at the ready.

"Charlene!"

Elena crying out her name distracted Charlene and Vicki managed to grab the stake, using it to stab the blonde in the stomach. Charlene cried out in pain as she tumbled to her knees.

"No!" Elena screamed in horror.

Stefan and Megan showed up.

"Charlene!" her best friend exclaimed in terror.

"Stefan, get Elena, Jeremy, and Megan out of here!" Charlene managed to say as she managed to stand to her feet and pulled the stake out of her stomach, blood dripping from the wood. She wasn't going to let her family get hurt, including Megan.

Charlene dropped the stake on the ground and zoomed at Vicki on final time. This time, she was quick enough. Vicki's eyes widened as Charlene shoved her hand into the girl's chest, gripping her heart. Everyone else was in shock.

"Vicki!" Jeremy roared as he tried to run towards them, but Stefan grabbed a hold of him before he could.

Charlene ignored the stares of the people around her as she locked eyes with Vicki's wide eyes. "I warned you what would happen if you hurt my brother…" she said coldly. With those words, she twisted Vicki's heart and roughly pulled it out of her chest.

Holding onto Vicki's bloody heart, Charlene watched as she started to grey and fell back into the ground, dead.

She didn't feel bad for killing Vicki at first…then she turned around and looked at Elena and Jeremy, who looked horrified and so scared.

The weight of what she had done hit Charlene hard. Her eyes welled with tears and she wailed in horror as she fell to her knees next to Vicki's broken body, burying her face into her hands while she cried heavily. Once she calmed down as much as she could, Charlene lifted her head back up, tears still streaming down her face.

"Get them out of here." She choked out before she turned away, ignoring the screams of Elena demanding what was going on.

Stefan and Megan pulled them away, leaving Charlene alone with Vicki's dead body.

Charlene felt like she stayed there forever. She couldn't believe what she did. She killed someone else…and not just anyone…she killed Vicki…Jeremy's girlfriend…Matt's sister…

The emotions got to her again and Charlene cried again, ducking her head. Just then, she heard a familiar voice.

"You should go. I got this."

Damon.

Charlene got angry immediately as she stood up to her feet, a glare on her face. "This is all your fault!" she snarled. "If you hadn't changed Vicki, didn't change me, none of this would be happening!"

Of course, he didn't even care and that made her angrier. "You confuse me for someone with remorse. Besides, I wasn't the one that killed her. That was all you."

She knew it was true, but she didn't need to hear it, especially from _him._ So, she tried to slap him. Since he was older than her, he was quicker and was able to stop her.

Damon gripped onto her hand tightly and pulled her towards him. Charlene struggled a bit but it was no use. He was so close to her she could feel his breath on her face.

"None of this matters to me." He gritted out. " _None of it._ "

Charlene finally was able to pull herself out of Damon's grip. "It matters, Damon, and you know it!" she snapped. "But you don't want to admit to yourself because that would mean you care and that you're not the monster you say you are!" With those last words, Charlene slapped him right across the face and stormed off, leaving him standing there.

Charlene returned home and found Megan sitting on the porch with Stefan. Her best friend stood up at the sight of her. Then she did something that surprised her, Megan went over and hugged her. She pulled back from the hug, her eyes sad.

"I'm so sorry." She apologized.

Charlene forced a smile and nodded before changing the subject. She didn't deserve any type of forgiveness.

"Where's Elena and Jeremy?"

"In the house."

Charlene nodded again as she went inside and headed upstairs, going towards Jeremy's room, figuring her siblings were in there.

Sure enough, they were and they were sitting on the bed, holding onto one another. They looked up when Charlene came inside the room.

Elena tightened her grip on Jeremy. "What's going on Charlene?" she demanded.

Charlene stayed silent for a moment. "I know you have questions…but I can't answer them…" Before Elena could snap at her, she turned towards Jeremy, who wasn't even looking at her. "I'm so sorry about Vicki…but she hurt you…and she was going to kill me…it needed to be done before she hurt anyone else…"

He stayed silent, sniffing as he finally looked at her. He was so heartbroken, his eyes shined with tears and it hurt Charlene so much to see her brother like this.

"I don't understand…I know what I saw…but I don't understand…" he managed to say through his tears. "And…Vicki…she's dead…and you…you killed her."

Charlene welled with tears at his words. "I know…and I'm so, so sorry…"

"Make it stop…it hurts…" he sobbed and Elena hugged her to him as she tried to shush while Charlene watched with the tears now streaming down her face. "Why does everybody have to die on me?"

At those words, Charlene couldn't help herself now as she went over to the bed and took him from Elena, gathering her little brother into her arms. "Jeremy…"

He sobbed again as he buried her face into Charlene's chest. As they hugged, the blonde looked over at her sister and their eyes met. Elena tried to stay angry but her face finally crumbled and she cried too while she joined in one the hug. They sobbed together.

* * *

Megan sat with Stefan in solemn silence, her mind trying to wrap around what happened. Vicki was dead and Charlene killed her. She knew her best friend had killed someone before but watching it first hand was a horrible experience.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Charlene finally stepped out of the house with Elena right behind her.

Megan stood up immediately as she went over to the two sisters with Stefan right behind her.

"How's he doing?" she asked instantly.

Charlene smiled weakly. "He's a mess…" she said quietly. "I don't blame him at all…I did a horrible thing. And I'm sorry." The apology was directed towards Stefan. "But I can't let him go through this again…he's just a kid…"

"Charlene, what can I do?" Stefan asked, stepping forward. "I…what can I do to help? I'll do anything."

"Can you make him forget?" Charlene asked immediately.

"Char…"

"I…I can't do it…if I could…I wouldn't ask. I don't know how he'll ever get passed this. I just want him to forget everything that happened."

Stefan gave a sigh. "If I did, there's no guarantee that it would work…because of who I am. Because of how I live. I don't have the ability to do it right."

"I can do it." Damon's voice sounded, causing everyone to turn and look at him as he walked onto the porch. He stared at Charlene. "If this is what you want…I'll do it."

"It's what I want."

"Are you sure, Char?" Megan questioned as the blonde looked over at her and nodded softly.

"I'm sure. Elena?" Charlene looked towards her sister, wanting her approval.

Though she had no idea what her sister was talking about, Elena nodded. "Yes…I don't want him to remember any of this either…"

With that, Charlene turned towards Damon. "Do it."

"What do you want him to know?"

"I want you to tell him that Vicki left town and she's not coming back." Charlene's voice shook as more tears filled her eyes. "That he shouldn't look for her or worry about her. He's gonna miss her, but he knows it's for the best."

He nodded and went inside without another word. Charlene and Elena went off to the side as the blonde started to explain things to her younger sister. This left Stefan and Megan to each other.

Megan sighed as she sat down next to Stefan. "You know…sometimes I wish I could forget everything too…forget about vampires…forget about everything that has happened since I found about who you were…and forget about you…" When those words left her lips, she felt better about finally letting that be known and she glanced over at Stefan, who stared at her guiltily. "But…you know what…I don't really want to…" Surprise crossed his face at that. "I don't want to forget about how I feel about you…"

Stefan opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Damon stepping out of the house.

"Its done." He announced.

Charlene gave a quick nod before heading inside with Elena right behind her.

Giving Stefan one last look, Megan went inside with her friends, not wanting to be away from them after what happened.

* * *

 **TBC..**

 **In...**

 **162 Candles, Part 1**

 **Now, who expected that to happen?**


	20. 162 Candles, Part 1

****Disclaimer:**** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 ** **Author's Note:**** And here is the first part of 162 Candles, another one of my favorite Vampire Diaries fanfic! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

* * *

Charlene wasn't a nervous person by any means, but this was different as she was learning how to hunt. For the first time, as a vampire.

"Stefan, I don't know about this." Charlene told him nervously, looking over at the older vampire. She tried to catch his eye, which was hard considering it was nighttime. It was only time he could teach her since she didn't have a daylight ring like Stefan and Damon.

"It's gonna be okay, you can do this Charlene." Stefan tried to reassure her. It worked somewhat as she took a deep breath and let it out as he moved to stand behind her. "All you have to is focus and listen."

"Is it really that easy?" Charlene questioned, not believing him even though he had no reason to lie to her.

"Yes, you just have to follow your instincts and it'll just come naturally and it is your first time, so it won't be perfect. So, we'll keep practicing and you'll get better at it. Just trust me."

Charlene nodded her head. "I trust you. If I didn't, I wouldn't let you around Megan." The mention of her best friend made him shift around uncomfortably and she felt for him as she turned her head to smile at him sympathetically. "Now, it's time for me to give your advice. Just give Megan time, she'll come around eventually."

"It might be best if she doesn't." Stefan said.

Charlene frowned a bit. "Maybe…but that would mean she would have to stay away from me too. I couldn't get through this without my best friend."

Stefan didn't say anything for a moment. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I had a best friend too."

" _You_ have a best friend?" Charlene teased. He playfully pushed against her shoulder and she giggled in response before sobering up. "What was her name?"

"Lexi." Stefan changed the subject. "Alright, close your eyes."

Charlene listened to him as her eyes slid closed. "Okay. Now what?"

"Now…listen…"

So, she did. She listened closely. She heard crickets chirping, the ruffling of the trees blowing in the wind. Not only did she listen, she used her sense of smell and she smelt something familiar. The smell of animal blood. Her nose wrinkled in response to the smell. Stefan's voice hit her ears.

"Once you find what you're listening for, follow your instincts…and attack…"

It was hard to want to do that when the smell was absolutely revolting, but she didn't want to disappoint Stefan…again. She was just thankful he still wanted to teach her after what happened with Vicki, but she figured that's exactly why Stefan was doing this. He didn't want the same thing to happen to her like it did with Vicki.

So, she attacked the poor defenseless animal, who didn't see it coming. Her fangs ripped through its flesh and blood was everywhere when Stefan found her.

Charlene looked up at him, blood all over her mouth. Her hands were covered in blood too as they were pressed against the flesh wound of the dead deer as if they were trying to stop the blood.

"Is it always gonna be this messy?" Charlene complained.

Taking a break from hunting, her and Stefan returned to the boarding and Charlene hurried upstairs to take a much needed shower in the bedroom Stefan was letting her use during her stay here and she needed some alone time. Unfortunately for her, it was impossible. Charlene rolled her eyes at the sight of Damon laying on her bed with that stupid smirk on his face. She still had no idea why she had found him _so_ attractive. Something she realized was dumb on her part.

"Get out, Damon." Charlene told him, her voice leaving no room for argument.

He simply pouted at her. "Oh, come on, Charlie."

"Would you stop calling me that?" she snapped, turning around to head into the bathroom. Hopefully if she didn't pay attention to him he would just leave. Hope wasn't on her side.

"So, have fun hunting poor defenseless animals?" Damon called to her. She turned around and he was there in front of her, making her jump.

"Of course not." Charlene said, glaring at him. " _That_ is not what I call fun and I wouldn't even have to do it if it wasn't for you."

"Are you really still on that?" Damon looked annoyed. "I changed you, now get over it."

Charlene's nostrils flared up at that. "Seriously? Get over it?" she growled. "Why do you have to be such an ass?"

Damon just shrugged and then he smirked. "You know you like it, Charlene." He leaned forward as if he was going to kiss her but instead, he whispered in her ear, "You know you don't have to hunt animals. I can see in your eyes that you don't want to. Let me teach you the right way to be a vampire."

At that, Charlene shoved him away roughly. "Not in a million years, Salvatore."

He stared at her and said nothing, but it didn't last long as he smirked again. "Don't worry, you'll change your mind soon enough."

Charlene rolled her eyes. "Not gonna happen."

Damon just shook his head before he left her alone. Charlene let out a sigh of relief as she finally went to take her shower.

* * *

Downstairs, Stefan was fast asleep in the big chair in the living room with a book open in his lap. After finishing with Charlene, he stayed downstairs to do some light reading, but ended up falling asleep. He shifted in his sleep and the book fell from his lap and onto the floor, startling him awake. Stefan rubbed his eyes as he stood up to pick up the book and placed it back on the small table besides the chair. He stretched his back and suddenly there was a noise coming from behind him, causing him to turn around but there was nothing there.

Slowly, Stefan started to walk around, surveying the area. Again, there was another noise. It sounded like something opening and he looked towards the windows, seeing that one of them was open. He went over to them, locking it up. Then there was yet another noise and Stefan turned around to look around but found nothing again. Confused, he headed back to the living room, looking around. Hearing another noise again coming from above, Stefan looked up but saw nothing on the stairs.

"Damon? Charlene?" he called, thinking it was one of them.

Then suddenly he was knocked down and he flipped on his back. Before he could fight back, Stefan found himself face to face with a familiar blonde vampire with her face changed.

"Lexi?" Stefan said, surprised.

The blonde named Lexi's face went back to normal and she smiled brightly. "Hi!" she greeted.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked happily as Lexi vampire speeded him up to his feet.

"How can you even ask that?" She teased as she pulled Stefan into a hug.

"I've missed you," Stefan told her, hugging her tightly.

Breaking the hug, she beamed at her friend. "Happy birthday."

Before he could say anything, Charlene appeared downstairs, dressed in only a towel. "Stefan, what's going on?" She met Lexi's startled brown eyes. "And who's this?" There was a bite to her tone as she turned to look at Stefan with a glare.

Knowing what she was thinking, Stefan quickly explained. "Charlene, this is Lexi. And Lexi, this is Charlene."

The glare on Charlene's face relaxed. "Oh…nice to meet you, Lexi." The blonde in front of her said nothing, still staring at her with wide eyes, and she shifted around uncomfortably. "Er…um…okay…I'm gonna go…goodnight Stefan…and nice meeting you again Lexi…" She smiled sheepishly as she left the living room, disappearing upstairs.

Once she was gone, Lexi turned to Stefan with her eyebrow raised. "Want to explain to me why that girl looks like Abigail Pierce?"

So, he did explain, but not everything, and Lexi returned the favor by catching Stefan up on what she had been doing over the years.

The next day in Stefan's bedroom, Lexi laughed as she tried to get him her best friend as he tried to tickle her. She slapped his hands away.

"Stop!" Lexi told him with another laugh as she sat up on Stefan's bed where they were playing around. "I don't know, some freak shot at me with wooden bullets! And I bail under sixty. And why is a news reporter hunting vampires?"

"I don't know who knows about us," Stefan answered shrugging his shoulders. "That guy did. There could be others. And do me a favor, while you're here, please be careful." Stefan moved so that he was not sitting next to Lexi.

Lexi groaned, "Why stay?" She grinned as she got off of the bed, "I'm heading to New York this weekend. Bon Jovi in the Garden "wanted dead or alive"." Stefan bumped a fist in the air and she laughed, "It's our theme song. It's going to be a _blast_!"

"Do you think he'll actually remember us? That was a pretty crazy weekend huh?"

"We can make him remember," Lexi replied, with a grin as she swirled her fingers around as she walked backwards. She turned forward and headed over to a table. "Come on! Let's go. I mean, what's keeping you here?" she questioned as she picked up a picture of Demetria.

"I told you, her name is Megan," Stefan reminded her.

Lexi turned around with the picture of Demetria in hand, "Let's just hope she's better than the last girl you sprung over." She held up the picture. "And hopefully not a look-a-like copy like your friend, Charlene is."

Keeping a straight face at that, Stefan went over to her and grabbed it. "You didn't even know Demetria," he said, brushing by her.

"Cause if I did, I'd kick her ass. Little bitch." Lexi rolled her eyes as she looked around. "So…where's Damon?"

"Inflicting misery somewhere," Stefan replied, turning to face his friend. "You going to be okay here alone? Cause I got some things I got to take care of."

Lexi gave her friend a look, "It's not like I can go anywhere. And you and Damon are the only ones who have these nifty daylight rings." She held a hand that had a ring on it, "I have a mood ring from '75. Trade ya?"

"Doesn't work that way and you know it," Stefan said putting her hand down.

"Ah man." Lexi groaned, pouting.

"Hey Lex."

"Mmm?" looking over at him.

"I'm really glad you came here."

Lexi smiled at the sincerity in his tone. "So what are we going to do for you birthday? It's not every day a guy turns a hundred and sixty two years old."

Stefan groaned. "Really?" he questioned, giving his friend a look.

Lexi grinned. "Oh yeah."

* * *

Unfortunately, Megan had to give her statement to Elizabeth Forbes about Vicki Donavan's disappearance. She hated she had to lie to the sheriff but it was for Stefan's protection and Charlene, who she felt like she hasn't seen in forever, even though it had actually been a few days.

Megan got out at the same as Elena and she immediately with up to her side as Jeremy and Jenna walked past them. "How did it go?"

"I didn't say anything if that's what you mean." Elena answered. She sounded snappish and she noticed she was when she saw the look on Megan's face, causing her to sigh. "I'm sorry…I just hate that I had to lie…"

Megan's eyes shifted downwards. "I know. I wish we both didn't have to."

"Yeah…but it's for Charlene and for Stefan…" Elena's eyes looked over her head and Megan turned around.

And there was Stefan. Megan gave him a small smile before turning towards Elena, lightly touching her shoulder in goodbye. She headed towards Stefan.

"How did it go?" Megan asked, stopping in front of him.

"It went good…you?"

She took a deep breath and let it out. "Yeah, it went good. I don't think she suspected a thing. I guess all this lying is paying off if she didn't, because I'm not a good liar. And according to Elena, Jeremy had no memory about what happened at all. All he knew was what Damon wanted him to know."

Stefan gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you…"

"Yeah…but I still hate I have to lie…I know it's to protect Charlene…and you…" Her eyes met his. "It's just now every time I look at Matt and Jeremy, all I'm going to be able to think of is how Vicki died and that she's never going to come back. And part of that is Charlene's fault but I can't blame her for it. She was protecting her brother." Stefan said nothing and she went on, "And Jeremy and Matt will never know why. I still love you Stefan, but people die and get hurt around you, and it's just too much."

Stefan sighed as he lifted a hand and brushed hair out of her face before placing his hand on her cheek. Megan couldn't help but lean into his touch with tears in her eyes.

"Why don't we go somewhere and talk about it?" he asked gently, brushing his thumb against her skin.

Megan thought about it but thought better of it as she slowly shook her head, removing his hand. "I'm sorry, Stefan…but you have to stay away from me…it's for the best." She let his hand go and looked away from him as she moved away from him, catching up with Elena.

"Are you okay?" she asked concerned, wrapping her arm around Megan's shoulder.

"Yeah…I will be…" Megan gave her a weak smile as she leaned her head against Elena's shoulder while they walked down the street to their cars.

* * *

Charlene paced back and forth in her temporary room. She was starting to get very agitated at being stuck inside. All. Freaking. Day.

She gnawed on her nails in her agitation. It didn't help the fact that she was hungry too. Charlene didn't know if Stefan kept a stash of animal blood in the house. If he did, she had no idea where he kept it at.

"You really shouldn't chew your nails like that."

The sound of someone's voice made her look over at the door. It was Lexi, who was smiling kindly at her. For some reason, her smile made her relax.

Charlene forced herself to smile back. "I know…but I can't help. I'm tired of being trapped in here. I don't have that nifty daylight ring like Stefan and Damon has."

"Yeah, neither do I, but you get used to it." Lexi said with another smile.

"Really? Doesn't feel like it, feels like _every day_ is a struggle…is it even worth it?"

"Depends on the day of the week." Lexi joked, making an actual smile appear on Charlene's face. "I know it doesn't feel like it but it does get better. You just have take it one day at a time."

"You make it sound like I'm an addict." Charlene laughed, but in a way, she knew it was kind of true.

Lexi smiled in response. "Are you hungry? I have some blood bags downstairs."

"I am…is it animal blood?"

Lexi's nose wrinkled. "God no, I drink human blood. I tried the animal diet for about three days, and gave up."

"Do you…" Charlene trailed off, hesitating asking if Lexi killed people for their blood.

She seemed to know what the other blonde was going to ask. "No, I never kill for blood. I drink human blood from blood bags, no killing people required."

"That's good." Charlene sighed. "That sucks then, I have no idea if Stefan has any animal blood here, and I'm hungry."

"Just call him, I'm sure he'll bring some back." Lexi offered, and Charlene nearly smacked herself in the head. Of course, why didn't she think of that? "But for now, want to listen to music or something?"

"Um sure." Charlene agreed, and Lexi grinned brightly as she grabbed her arm and tugged her out of the room.

* * *

After spending time with Charlene before she went crazy, Lexi decided to take a nap and fell asleep on Stefan's bed. She wasn't asleep for long as she and she groaned in her sleep. She turned on her other side and opened her eyes only to see Damon lying down with one of his hands keeping his head, causing her to let out a gasp of surprise.

He smirked at her. "Boo." Lexi groaned, rolling her and rolled her eyes as she sat up in the bed and leaned back against her pillow. "Hello Lexi. What an unexpected surprise?"

Lexi scoffed, looking over at her best friend's brother. "Unexpected surprise? I think the wrong brother went back to High School."

"How long are you here for?" Damon questioned, ignoring her.

She shrugged. "Just for Stefan's b-day." She answered as she looked away from him.

"Oh, you mean you didn't come here to see me?" Damon said sarcastically with another smirk that Lexi wanted to smack off of his face.

Lexi snorted. "That's it Damon." she said, rolling her eyes. "After a century I finally realize that death means nothing without you." She leaned forward, running her index finger up his chin and then said in a fake seductive whisper, "Do me."

"Why are you so mean to me?" Damon questioned pouting as he flipped onto his back.

Lexi raised an eyebrow at him, "Have you met you? You're not a nice person."

"Because I'm a vampire."

"Only the bad parts."

"Teach me to be good." Damon leaned forward but Lexi grabbed him by the neck, choking him and pushing back against the bed.

"I'm older and that means stronger," Lexi warned, squeezing his neck tighter.

Damon didn't even try to pull her hands away. "Sorry." He wheezed out.

"Don't ruin my time with Stefan, because I'll hurt you." Lexi threatened. She leaned in and whispered into his ear, " _And you know I can do it_."

"Okay."

Lexi finally let go of his neck and left the room. Damon rubbed his neck, grimacing.

"You deserved that."

He looked up to see Charlene. The blonde smirked at him and he rolled his eyes at her. Charlene simply gave him another smirk, adding a small laugh to it before she left him alone, holding onto his neck.

* * *

 **TBC..**

 **In...**

 **162 Candles, Part 2...**

 **Gosh, I forgot how much I _loved_ Lexi. And I still hate that Damon killed her, so unfair. Unfortunately, that's not going to change. As much as I love her, her being dead is important for season 3. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed the chapter as much as I did writing it! Until next time then! :D**


	21. 162 Candles, Part 2

****Disclaimer:**** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 ** **Author's Note:**** And here is the second of part of 162 Candles! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

* * *

Megan didn't want to go back home to be by herself because Bonnie had spent the night at Grams, so she would be all alone in her house and with everything going on, that was the last place she wanted to be.

So, here she was at Elena's house, sitting on the couch, watching some show she was barely paying attention to.

"Why is there _nothing_ good on TV anymore?" Megan couldn't help but complain, leaning her head on Elena's shoulder. "I need something _good_ after what's been happening in the last couple of days." Her eyes glanced up to see her best friend's sister looking down at her sympathetically. "And I miss Charlene…" She sighed. "Hate I have to go through this without her…"

"I know…I miss her too…" Elena said softly. "But at least she's still here."

Megan slowly nodded in agreement. Elena was right. Though being a vampire was horrible, at least she wasn't dead…like Vicki.

"Yeah…" Megan changed the subject, given not a happier subject. "By the way…how are you dealing with the whole vampire thing?" She quieted down her voice since Jeremy was in the room with them, doing something on the dining room table.

"Dealing as well I can be." Elena said with a shrug. "I just can't believe they actually exist…"

"Yeah…well they do…" Megan sighed again as she lifted her head up from Elena's shoulder and tried to pay attention to the TV, wanting to shift away from the vampire conversation before someone caught a listen to it. Just in time too because Jenna appeared and Megan scooted over so the adult could sit in between her and Elena.

"You're wallowing." Jenna commented, looking over at Megan, who immediately protested.

"No, I'm not…" Then seeing the look on Jenna's face, she sighed. "Fine. Yeah, I am. But don't judge Jenna, you're doing the same thing." She made sure to sound teasing to show she didn't mean anything by it.

Jenna gave a sigh. "Yeah, but my wallow is legitimate. I was dumped."

"Yeah. Well, Logan's a jerk." Elena informed her.

"Elena's right, you deserve better than that asshole." Logan needed a better insult than what Elena called him.

Jenna couldn't help but smile at the two girls. "Thanks."

Megan smiled back as she put an arm around her best friend's aunt. "Of course, Jen!"

"Still, you didn't get a brush off email that said, 'I'm leaving town. See ya.'"

"Like I said, asshole." Megan joked as Jenna and Elena shared an amused smile.

"Wanna keep it down over there?" Jeremy called, getting their attention.

Jenna and Elena turned to look over at him with matching frowns. Megan laughed to herself at how it looked.

"Why? What are you doing?" Jenna questioned curiously.

"Homework."

It was Megan's turn to look at him, but she had a look of shock on her face. "You're doing homework?!"

Both Jenna and Elena were shocked too, for good reason too. Jeremy never did homework.

"Since when do you do homework?" Elena asked, startled.

He didn't glance up at them, scribbling on paper. "I gotta finish this. I'm way behind and I have a quiz tomorrow so…"

"What do you think? Alien?" Elena shared a look with her aunt.

"Some sort of replicant?"

"No, he definitely got possessed by a ghost." Megan couldn't help but comment too.

Jeremy looked up, glaring a little. "He can hear you."

"We know." Megan quipped with a grin as she turned back around to look at the TV, but she shared a concerned look with Elena. What brought that on?

* * *

Liz sat behind her desk in the police office, dealing with paperwork. Her phone rang from beside her and she picked it to put it to her ear.

"Yeah, send him in." Liz told the person on the other in of the phone. Damon entered the office and she looked up at him. "Mr. Salvatore, come on in. Can you get the door?"

"Sure." Damon said, closing the door.

"I understand from Mrs. Lockwood that your uncle is out of town."

Damon nodded. "Yes he is." he responded as he headed over to Liz. "He filled me in and asked if I could give this you." He stopped walking once he was over to her and handed her a box.

Taking it from him, Liz opened it up and pulled out a handful of vervain. "Vervain?"

"That's all we have at the moment, I hope it's enough," Damon told her.

Liz nodded. "It's a small circle…Founding family, a few city officials."

"And your deputies, of course right?" Damon said, sitting down in the seat he was standing in front of. "Are we any closer?"

Liz shook her head. "I think our facts are wrong," she said. "We've always believed that vampires can only come in the dark. What if that's changed?"

"So, is that even possible?"

"We've exhausted every other option," Liz answered, sounding exasperated. "We have to consider the vampire may be walking around during the day. Right in front of us."

"Hm…so what's the next step?"

"We're now looking for anyone new to town, since the death began," Liz responded. "Should turn up a subject or two."

"And I, of course, will do anything to help."

* * *

Eventually, Megan went back home to an empty house. She felt of loneliness creep up on her, even though she had no reason to feel lonely. She had friends, people who cared about her. She had everything she ever needed…then why did she feel that way?

It had to be because of Stefan. Something she hated herself for. When was she the type to have her whole world stop just because of some boy? Then again…Stefan wasn't just any boy. He was her whole world, and she hadn't even known him for that long. And he was a vampire…he wasn't safe. She needed to stay away from him, just like she told him she was going to. It was easier said than done.

Tired of her thoughts and tired in general, Megan headed up to bed and quickly fell asleep, exhausted. She wasn't asleep for long as she was awoken by Bonnie gently shaking her shoulder.

"Bonnie…" Megan said sleepily, sitting up in bed as she ran her fingers through her hair. "You're back."

"Yeah, I am. Scoot over."

Megan did and Bonnie slid into bed beside her. The brunette turned her body so she could hug her sister.

"Why haven't you called me back?" Bonnie questioned as Megan broke the hug and smiled apologetically at her.

"I'm sorry Bon…I've just been busy…and I'm tired…tired of thinking…tired of feeling so alone…"

"You're not alone, Meg. You have me, Elena, Charlene, Caroline, and Stefan." Bonnie tried telling her.

Megan shook her head at the last part. "I don't have Stefan anymore…we broke up…"

"I'm so sorry…" Bonnie said softly as Megan sniffed and wiped her eyes while they welled up with tears. "Are you okay?" As soon as she asked the question, she knew it was the wrong one and rolled her eyes at herself. "Right stupid question. I know I've been MIA when you needed me the most. I suck."

This made Megan chuckle a little. "No, you don't." She squeezed her sister's hand. "You're the best sister I've ever had. I know we're not blood related but your still my sister and always will be."

"Me too." Bonnie said, smiling as she squeezed her hand back. Then the smile fell, and was replaced by a sad one. "I'm still sorry that I haven't been there for you."

"Well, you can make it up to me by taking my mind off of it." Megan told her with a smile.

Her sister grinned in response. "Just remember you asked for it." She literally hopped out of bed and ran to the window, closing it shut. Megan watched confused as she grabbed one of her pillows, ripping it open, causing feathers to fly everywhere and all over the bed.

"Bonnie, what are you doing?" Megan asked, so confused.

"I need to swear you to secrecy."

Slowly, Megan was starting to see where she was going with this and she bit back a grin. Finally. Her sister believed it.

"Of course, you can tell me anything." Megan swore.

"Okay. So, there's no windows open, right?"

"Right." Megan barely could keep her excitement down, but she managed it.

"There's no fan. No air conditioning."

"None."

"Grams just showed me this." Bonnie grinned. "You're gonna love it. You ready?"

Megan just nodded, now unable to stop her grin. "Yes!"

Bonnie began levitating feathers one by one in front of her. Megan's grin widened as she started to help until all the feathers were floating in front and above them. Her sister's surprised eyes met hers.

"I'm a witch too." Megan whispered with a grin. Her sister stared at her for a moment before laughing happily and she laughed too as she hugged Bonnie tightly, forgetting all about her Stefan troubles and everything else.

* * *

Stefan finally came back to the boarding house and he brought back animal blood for her, which Charlene was actually ecstatic about. She was starving so she would have eaten anything…well not human blood.

Charlene sipped her blood as she sat on one of the couches in the living room with Stefan and Lexi. It was interesting to see Stefan around someone he had known for a very long time. He acted so different around Lexi. He was more relaxed…more open.

If she didn't know that Stefan and Lexi were just friends and that Stefan was in love with Megan, Charlene definitely would have thought they were together. She finished off her blood and started on another, still hungry. Not only did the animal blood taste horrible, it wasn't very fulfilling. Charlene snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of Lexi's voice.

"So, this Megan girl." The blonde started. "She'll come around. I'm sure of it. Have you had sex yet?"

Charlene nearly choked on her blood, causing them to glance at her. She caught their gaze. "What?" she protested. "I so don't want to know about my best friend and Stefan's sex life!"

"There's nothing to know." Stefan said quickly, actually blushing. "We haven't had sex yet."

"Oh geez." Charlene sat down her drink and covered her face in exasperation.

Lexi, obviously, didn't care about their embarrassment as she continued. "Sex always works. I mean, you'll rock her world so hard with your vamp sex, she'll be yours forever."

"Thanks for the mental picture, Lex." Charlene muttered, the nickname rolling off her tongue without thinking about it.

Lexi grinned in response to it. "I aim to please." She gave her a wink as Stefan spoke up.

"This isn't about sex or…or compulsion or any of our other _tricks_." Stefan explained softly. "She has to _want_ to be with me on her own terms."

Charlene smiled at that as Lexi gave him a surprised look, but with her own grin.

"Wow. That sounded all mature and grown-up."

"I'm not getting any older."

Charlene chuckled in amusement as she grabbed her glass of blood, drinking from it. As she did, Lexi moved over to her suitcase and opened it before pulling out a blood bag only to take a sip from it. Charlene watched closely and couldn't help but sniff the air, catching the scent of the human blood. Her mouth couldn't help but water and she cursed herself for it as she drowned the rest of the animal blood, making a face.

"Want some?" Lexi asked Stefan, making Charlene notice he was staring at the blood bag too.

"No. Thank you."

"Relax, I didn't kill anyone for it." She told him as she settled down on one of the chairs. "This phlebotomist I went out with a few times, he's my supplier." She took another sip and saw the expression on Stefan's face. In response, she gave him a pointed look. "Oh, don't judge, okay? Like I told Charlene, I tried the animal diet; lasted three weeks."

Stefan shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Cause if I started again…I just don't know if…"

"You could stop."

Charlene looked between them both, feeling like she was missing something. Something important.

"Lexi, I'd never judge you." Stefan told her.

"I'm just jealous of your restraint. I have none." Lexi grinned, leaning back against her seat. "I delight in hedonism. Speaking of which, what are we doing tonight?"

Just then, Damon entered the room with that all too familiar smirk on his face. "Funny, you should ask." He quipped.

"We didn't ask you." Charlene snapped, glaring at Damon.

He ignored her. "There's a party at the Grill." He explained. "You'll love it. Banquettes, tacky wait staff, and all of Stefan's friends."

"Yeah, I don't want a birthday party." Stefan said dryly.

"Well, it's not _for you_. It's a party, party. No one's gonna know it's your birthday. Caroline's throwing it."

The mention of her friend made Charlene stand up, looking just about ready to attack Damon. "Stay away from her, Damon."

"Calm down, Charlene." The older Salvatore rolled his eyes with another smirk.

She crossed her arms. "Are you seriously telling me to calm down?"

"Yep, because you have no reason to freak out." Damon said. "We're friends, its cool."

"I don't care, you still need to stay away from her."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Fiiine. I'll stay away from her." Charlene stared at him, not believing him for a second but decided not to say anything. "Anyway, it's important for the town to see us out and about like normal folk. We need to blend." He noticed Lexi's stock of blood and scoffed. "I prefer mine at 98,6."

Lexi looked offended as Damon slandered out of the room, having the last word like always.

"Dick." Charlene mumbled, her eyes following him. Unfortunately, he was a dick with a nice ass.

"Let's go." Lexi said eagerly and Stefan stared at her with a, 'are you serious?' expression on his face. " _Please?_ "

As much as she hated Damon, Charlene wouldn't turn down an invitation to get of the house. "Yeah, please Stefan." She added, and he looked over at her. "I really need to get out of this house."

Seeing it was two against one, Stefan sighed heavily. "Fine. We can go."

* * *

While Charlene excitedly got ready in her room, Lexi entered Stefan's room after taking a shower. A towel was wrapped around her and her hair was pulled up in a bun on top of her head.

"I'm almost ready," Lexi said to Stefan, who was sitting in a chair, happily as she threw the towel that was in her hand of to the side. She went to stand in front of a mirror as Stefan spoke up.

"I can't believe you actually think we should go to this thing," he said as he got out of the chair.

Lexi looked at him through the mirror, rolling her eyes slightly. "Sorry it's not like I'm asking you to run outside midday without your ring," she told him sarcastically. She turned to face her friend, making sure the towel wouldn't fall off of her, "I mean, seriously, it's a party."

"A party that Damon wants us to go to, you know," Stefan reminded her as he went to stand in front of her. "So my question is why? I think he's up to something."

"Who cares? What can he possibly do with all those people in a public place?"

"He knows how to keep a low profile, believe me," Stefan said crossing his arms over his chest.

"Okay, so he'll behave," Lexi said in response. "Come on. One day a year I get you, one day." She held up one finger as she continued. "That you're not brooding and existing in your own head." She said teasingly.

"It's my birthday, yeah."

"It's my day," Lexi corrected him. "And that guy that jumped naked in the Trevi fountain; and got drunk on the torch of the statue of Liberty; can stop his worrying for one night and go to a stupid party." A stern look crossed her face, "So, quit your whining and go get ready."

Stefan held his hands up in surrender. "Fine." He gave in before going into the bathroom to go get ready.

* * *

Megan left her house to go see Stefan and Charlene. Mostly the latter because she needed to see her. She parked her car in front of the house before climbing out and knocking on the door. Megan didn't know if she rather Stefan open the door or Charlene, probably Stefan since her best friend didn't have a daylight ring.

But she didn't get either as an unfamiliar voice called out, "It's open! Come on in."

Confused, Megan stepped inside and a shocked look crossed her face as a woman around her age appeared, dressed in only a towel. The woman had a shocked look on her face as well as she stared at her.

"Oh my God! How…uh…what…who?" she sputtered.

"Who are you?" Megan blurted out.

"Who are you?"

Megan crossed her arms. "I'm Megan. Now, who are you?"

The woman continued to just stare at her, freaking her out a bit. "Lexi, a friend of Stefan's."

"Is he here?" Megan asked awkwardly.

"He's in the shower." Her body stiffened at that as a glare slowly formed on her face. The woman cleared her throat nervously. "Do you want to wait?"

"No. Clearly, I shouldn't have come here. Sorry to interrupt." Megan bit out. She needed to get out of here.

"Megan?" She heard Charlene but she left before her best friend could say anything.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **162 Candles, Part 3...**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Review please!**


	22. 162 Candles, Part 3

****Disclaimer:**** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 ** **Author's Note:**** And here is the third part of 162 Candles! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

* * *

Charlene turned towards Lexi, the question about what happened was on her lips, but she couldn't get it out because the blonde hurried back upstairs before she could.

Frowning, she looked towards the front door and wished she could run after her. But damnit, the stupid sun was still out. Letting out a groan and rolling her eyes, Charlene headed back upstairs to finish getting ready for the party. She entered her room and closed the door before slipping off her shirt, not realizing someone was in the room with her until she heard an appreciative whistle. Charlene nearly screamed, immediately covering herself.

"Damon!" she screeched as she glared heatedly at the smirking Damon Salvatore laying on her bed. "What the hell?!"

"Well, hello to you too." He answered calmly, a sarcastic tone in his voice.

She just glared at him harder as she headed over to her closet, still covering herself. "Don't you have someone else you can bother? Like Stefan?" Sure, she didn't want him to bother Stefan either since it was his birthday, but she rather him not bother her.

"I much rather bother you." Damon smirked again. Before she could even blink, he was in front of her and her breath caught her throat as one of his hands reached up to touch her cheek. "And you know you love it."

"Even if I did, just stop bothering me." Charlene told him, almost pleading with him. " _Please_. I have more important things to deal with, like me being a vampire and not being able to go in the sun, and not being able to be with my family and my best friend who needs me. So, just leave me alone." With that, she backed away from him and turned around to hide the fact that her eyes were filling with tears. The last thing she needed was to let Damon see her tears.

He didn't leave as she could feel his gaze on her back. Charlene was about to say something to him but he spoke before she could.

"All you had to do was ask, Charlene, because I can help you with that."

Those words had her turning around. "What?"

"Over the years, I've collected daylight rings from witches, and I could give you one…"

Charlene sighed heavily. "And let me guess, there's a 'but' coming."

"No, no buts." Damon informed her, stepping closer to her again. "I was going to give you one anyway…can't have you suffer forever when there's so much to _love_ about being a vampire and _you_ need to experience it and you can't when you're stuck inside all day. So…" He reached into his pocket, pulling out a ring similar to his and Stefan's, except it was smaller and a lot prettier. "Here you go."

Charlene reached out so she could put it on, but Damon did it for her, and she let him for whatever reason. Their eyes stayed connected as he did. After he put it on, his hand stayed on hers for just a moment before he let go. He gave her a smirk and he finally left her room. Charlene stared after him, wondering why he did that for her. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she thought…

Once she thought that, she shook her head. No. Just because he did something nice, it didn't change what he did to her, or to everyone she loved. But it didn't stop her from being ungrateful as Charlene stared at the daylight ring on her finger, smiling to herself. Once she finished getting ready, she quickly left the boarding house without telling Stefan, last thing she wanted was to explain how she got the daylight ring, knowing he wouldn't like the fact she got it from Damon.

Charlene raced back home, but she bumped into someone along the way. It was Maddie, her ex co-worker.

"Char!" she exclaimed happily. "Long time no see!"

"Hi Maddie." Charlene managed a smile. "Yeah, I've been busy."

"I miss you at the Grill. It's not the same without you there." Maddie smiled back, placing her hand on Charlene's shoulder.

"That's sweet, thank you." She went to say something else but the familiar smell of blood hit her nose and it was coming from the redhead. Oh, it smelt so good. Her eyes locked in on the pulse of her neck. It was pumping deliciously and she wanted a taste so bad.

"Charlene? You okay?" Maddie almost broke through her hungry thoughts but her mind was still on it.

"No…no I'm not…" Charlene mumbled, then locked eyes with Maddie. Her pupils dilated automatically and the redhead's face went blank. "You're not going to scream…"

"I'm not going to scream…" Maddie responded blankly.

"And you're not going to be afraid about what I'm about to do."

"I won't be afraid…"

Charlene couldn't help herself now as her face changed and her fangs extended before she attacked, biting Maddie's neck harshly. The redhead didn't scream as she fed from her, draining her inch by inch. The temptation of blood was too powerful and she drank and drank until Maddie's body slumped in her arms…dead.

Once she finished, Charlene pulled back with blood dripping down her chin. She licked her caked with blood lips and closed her eyes in ecstasy as she held onto Maddie's dead body. Charlene knew what she had done and she felt horrible about it but no one had to know. She wasn't going to let it happen again, even if she had to do what she didn't want to do in the first place. Have Damon Salvatore teach her how to feed on human blood without killing anyone in the process.

That thought in mind, Charlene picked up Maddie's body to go give her a proper burial before heading back to her house.

* * *

Megan was once again alone in her house. Bonnie had went to the party at the Grill, the one Caroline was throwing, and her sister had tried to convince her to go, but she decided to just stay home. She wasn't one to turn down a party…she just wasn't in the partying type of mood. And she didn't want to run into Stefan, just in case he was going to it.

So, at the moment, she sat on the couch in the living room, munching on popcorn and watching Friends on TBS. The episode where Ross and Rachel broke up started just as Megan heard the doorbell ring. With a groan, she got up, grumbling under her breath as she headed over to the front door. Megan opened the door and Stefan was there.

"Stefan?" she questioned, surprised that he was here. "What are you doing here?"

"Lexi said that you came by and you seemed upset."

"Lexi?" Megan didn't have to think about it long and she frowned, crossing deeply. "Right. Towel girl." She grumbled jealous.

"The towel?"

Megan nodded, pursing her lips at him. She was taken aback when Stefan started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Megan asked angrily, now glaring at him as she crossed her arms. "It's not funny, Stefan!"

His laughing stopped. "I'm sorry." Stefan apologized. "But it's not like that, trust me. Besides, she's not exactly a girl – Lexi's just 350 years old."

Megan's glare faded away. "She's a vampire?" she asked rhetorically.

Stefan nodded. "And she's my oldest friend. _Nothing_ romantic. _Ever_."

Megan relaxed as her arms fell back to her sides. "Okay, well, good…" she said sheepishly, cursing herself for getting jealous. "She seemed, uh, nice. A little weird though…she kept staring at me like she had seen a ghost or something."

"Yeah…" Stefan looked sheepish. "Well, I've talked about you a lot so…I guess she felt like she knew you." Megan decided to take his explanation to heart, even though it made no sense. "So, why did you come over?"

"It was a mistake to come over…and I just wanted to see Charlene." Megan quickly answered.

"Megan, talk to me."

"Do you not think I want to?" Megan found herself snapping. "Of course, I want to talk to you, Stefan. But I can't. Not when I'm keeping secrets. I can't even tell my own sister about it. And the only person I can talk to about it is Charlene, Elena, and you…and…"

Stefan stopped her by grabbing her hands. "Megan, I want you to know that I will always be there for you." He told her softly, looking into her eyes and she met his gaze. "You can come to me about anything, okay?"

Megan nodded and pulled her hands away. "Thank you…I appreciate it…and thanks for coming over…" She gave him a soft smile as she turned to go back inside but Stefan's voice stopped her.

"Hey, do you need a ride to the Grill?"

"Are you going to Caroline's party?" That was exactly why she didn't go because she was afraid of that.

"Lexi's dragging me and…it's my birthday."

"Really?" Megan couldn't stop the genuine smile from her face. "Happy birthday."

Stefan laughed softly. "Thank you."

Megan didn't say anything for a moment. "And no, I wasn't planning on going. I was afraid I was going to run into you."

He looked down at that. "Oh…"

"But…" Stefan looked up. "I guess since it's your birthday…I'll go…" He smiled widely and she smiled back. "Let me just go get dressed."

"Okay."

Megan smiled again as she turned and headed upstairs to get ready.

* * *

At the Grill, Caroline found Bonnie sitting at a table with two other girls and she went over to her friend.

"Bonnie, I've been looking for you," she told her friend as she grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the table. "I'm so sorry that I have to do this." They stopped walking and she faced her friend before continuing, "I know it's so Indian giver and I know we're not supposed to say that anymore but I need my crystal back."

"Why? I thought you said you hated it." Confusion was clear in Bonnie's voice.

"Then I saw it on you and I realized how great it is," Caroline said quickly coming up with an excuse. "And I've got three outfits I can coordinate it with so…"

Bonnie shook her head. "I can't give it to you," she said cutting her friend off before she could say anything.

"Okay," Caroline said internally annoyed at her. "Well, I didn't want to tell you this but I'm your friend, when you wear it makes you look fat. There I said it, but it's because I'm your friend so..."

"I'm sorry Caroline, I can't," Bonnie told Caroline.

"What do you mean you can't?" Caroline asked a little angrily. "Bonnie's its mine." Her voice sounded whiney and childish as she said the last thing.

"I thought you said it was Damon's."

"It is."

Bonnie then realized something, "So he's the one who really wants it back."

"No," Caroline denied. "Maybe." She added. "Just…" She touched the necklace but it shocked her causing her to pull her hand back, she looked at her friend confused, "Are you wearing polyester?"

Bonnie looked at her friend in disbelief, "You were really going to pull it off of my neck." She shook her head, "What the hell is wrong with you?" She walked away and Caroline groaned before walking away herself.

* * *

Megan and Stefan ended the Grill, standing close together, but not holding hands. Trust her, she wanted to, but thought it would weird considering what had been going on between them.

"Hi!" Lexi greeted, appearing in front of them. Megan managed a smile, feeling embarrassed at how she reacted when she met the blonde vampire for the first time.

"Hey…I'm sorry about earlier…" Megan decided to apologize. "I didn't know who you were…"

Lexi waved it off. "Don't even worry about it." She grinned and Megan could tell she meant it. "If I was in your position, I probably would have acted the same way. I was in a towel, at your boyfriend's house."

Megan would have corrected her, but decided not to. "Yeah, but still, I'm a lot nicer than that."

"I know." Lexi smiled again. She glanced around for a moment before looking at Megan again. "Do you mind if I borrow the birthday boy?"

"Sure…" Now, Megan didn't feel weird about it.

The blonde grinned at her and grabbed Stefan's hand, dragging him to the pool table, leaving Megan alone.

But she wasn't alone for long.

"Megan!" She was pulled into a tight and enthusiastic hug by Charlene.

Immediately, Megan hugged her friend back as she buried her face in her best friend's blonde hair. God, she missed her so much.

"I've missed you, Megan." Charlene whispered emotionally.

"I've missed you too." The hug broke and Megan's heart broke at seeing tears streaming down her face.

"Char, don't cry." She told her gently, wiping her face. "It'll be okay."

Charlene sniffed. "It doesn't feel like it…" she sighed as she wiped the rest of tears away. She shook her head, trying to collect herself. "But at least there's a positive…"

"What's that?"

A grin crept its way onto her face as she showed off her finger. There was a ring with the same type of jewel in the middle as Stefan and Damon's ring.

"Where did you get that?!" Megan exclaimed, grabbing her friend's hand to examine the ring closer.

Charlene looked sheepish and nervous at the same time. "Er…Damon…"

Megan's eyes widened. "What?" Instead of being mad, she was mostly concerned. "And what did he ask in return?"

"He didn't ask for anything." Of course, she had a hard time believing that and it must have showed on her face since Charlene said as she grabbed her hands, "I'm telling the truth. He didn't. If he did, I wouldn't have accepted it…but I can walk in the sun now, Megan. I don't have to be stuck inside all day."

"I know…but how do you know Damon isn't going to use this to his advantage when he wants to?"

Charlene gave a sigh, letting go of her hands. "I don't know…" She said nothing for a moment. "Let's stop talking about it. It's a party, we're supposed to have fun. Let's just pretend that our lives were like they used to be before Damon and Stefan Salvatore came to town."

That was easier said than done, but Megan had to agree. "Okay."

Her best friend grinned. "Come on, let's go to the bar and I'll compel us a few drinks." Megan couldn't help but grin at that as she let Charlene tug her over to the bar.

-0-

Charlene sat with Megan at a table, drowning her shot. She swallowed with a satisfying sound.

"It's so weird that I like alcohol now." Charlene informed Megan with a laugh, wiping her mouth and accidently smudging her makeup a little. "But I can't say that I'm complaining about it."

"Yeah…" Megan sounded like she wasn't paying attention and she looked to see what she was staring at.

It was Stefan and Lexi, who were both at the pool table, having a great time. Smiling and laughing.

Charlene opened her mouth to comfort her, but someone else spoke up. However, he wasn't a comforting person to say the least.

"Stefan smiles. Alert the media." Damon's voice was close to her, so she couldn't help but jump.

Megan groaned at the sight of Damon. "Go away…" she mumbled. "We don't want you here."

"You don't, but Charlene might." He smirked.

Charlene rolled her eyes and turned to meet his gaze. "Yeah, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you weren't there." She said sarcastically.

"Better be nice to me, I can take that ring just like that." Damon snapped his fingers.

"Go for it." Charlene challenged, but he didn't make a move to do so as Megan interrupted.

"Well I'm happy he's having a good time." She informed Damon. "Because you haven't given him anything to be happy about lately." She took a drink of her beer before turning to look at the older Salvatore with a pointed look.

At this, Damon rolled his eyes. "Oh you're right. Poor Stefan persecuted throughout eternity by his depraved brother; does it ever get tiring to be so righteous?"

Megan snorted. "I'm being righteous? Oh, you're one to talk Damon." She stood up from her chair. "I'm getting another drink." She mumbled as she left Damon and Charlene alone.

"Do you have to be so mean to my friends?" Charlene frowned at him.

"Yep." Damon said, popping the 'p'.

Charlene sighed heavily as she stood up. "Whatever Damon." She went to leave, but he grabbed her arm.

When she looked over, his face was close to her face and she stiffened as he exhaled. After a moment, Damon pulled back to stare at her. He stayed silent for a moment before speaking.

"You drank human blood."

This made her completely freeze. "No, I didn't."

"Yeah you did. I can smell it on you." Damon smirked hugely. "Given up on the Stefan diet, huh? Mm…I'm surprised you lasted this long."

"Shut up, Damon." Charlene hissed, glaring at him. "It won't happen again."

He shook his head. "Yes it will, and you'll keep killing people if you don't know how to control yourself. Let me help you."

Charlene knew she had told herself that she would ask for his help, but in the moment, she didn't want to. She could do it on her own.

"The last thing I want is your help." Charlene snapped, roughly pulling her arm away. She started to walk away from him but stopped as she realized something and she turned around. "That's why you gave me the ring! You knew I couldn't control myself and would go out and kill someone, so I would ask for your help!"

"You caught me."

Charlene stared at him in disbelief, but then she got angry and tore her ring off, throwing it at him. "Take your stupid daylight ring back!" she growled. "I don't want it and you can go to hell!" She stormed off.

* * *

Megan was alone again, sitting in a booth and staring into space. This was no fun at all.

"Hey! Why are you sitting by yourself?" Lexi appeared, drinks in her hand.

"It's not without annoyance." Megan responded as she managed a small smile. "Charlene disappeared on me, but I can't blame her. She has her own problems to deal with, you know with being a vampire and all."

"Yeah, but good thing alcohol helps." Lexi said as she handed over one of the shots she had.

Megan didn't drink it as she looked up at the blonde. "How can you guys drink? You would think you wouldn't be able to."

"It helps curb the cravings, but makes for a lot of lusty vamps." Lexi said, waggling her eyebrows a little.

Megan laughed at that. She couldn't help it. Megan shook her head and found her gaze locking on Stefan, who was still at the pool table.

"I've never seen Stefan drunk before." She commented. "He's always so…"

"Uptight?" Lexi guessed with a smile.

"Yeah…"

Lexi gave a laugh. "Yeah."

"He's not like that with you, though." Megan said quietly. "I'm kind of jealous."

Lexi sat down next to her. "You don't have to be. That's just the benefit of knowing someone for over a hundred years. You can just be yourself."

"I wish he was like with me…"

"Not yet…but the first step was him telling you." Lexi touched her hand. "The rest comes with time."

"You sound so sure, Lexi." A lot more sure than Megan felt.

She said nothing for a moment. "The love of my life was human. He went through, what I imagine you're going through: denial, anger, et cetera. But at the end of the day…" Her eyes met Megan's brown ones and smiled. "Love really did conquer it all." She gestured to her tequila. "Are you going to drink that?"

Megan shook her head. "Go for it." Lexi took it and drank the shot in one go, causing the dark haired teen to look at her impressed. Then her eyes glanced down. "I'm scared, Lexi. With everything that's going on. Not just with Stefan, but everything…I don't know if I can do it…"

"But you're here, aren't you?" Lexi stated and Megan bit her lip, nodding her head softly. She was here, despite everything. "Cause your crazy about him, I get it, okay? I mean what's not to love." They looked at Stefan and Megan couldn't help but smile at the sight of him. He looked so happy. "Listen. Take it from someone who's been around a long time. When it's real, you can't walk away." She gave her one last smile, squeezed her hand, and stood up to walk back over to Stefan.

Megan quickly stopped her, standing up herself only to give Lexi a huge hug. She knew she had surprised her since Stefan's best friend didn't return it right away. Megan held onto the hug for a few minutes before pulling away and smiling.

"Thank you." She told her. "And it was very nice to meet you, Lexi." The blonde smiled, actually looking a bit shy before she left Megan.

"Lexi sure is something." Charlene said as she appeared beside her.

Megan turned and smiled. "Yeah…she is."

* * *

Damon was sitting at the bar when Lexi appeared with two shots in her hands. She sat them down as he glanced down at the shots, then up at her.

"Alright, these shots are a bribe," Lexi told him seriously. "I need you to answer a question. What are you _really_ doing here in Mystic Falls?"

"Have you tried the Brittle? It wins award."

"Cut the crap." Lexi snapped as Damon drowned one of the shots.

He sat down the empty shot. "Okay." He leaned forward and smirked. "I have a diabolical master plan."

"What is it?"

Damon raised an eyebrow at her. "If I told you it wouldn't be very diabolical, now would it?"

Lexi just shook her head at him. Over at the entrance of the Grill, Liz Forbes, three police officers, and a girl that got attacked by a vampire entered the party.

"Look around, let me know if you see anything." Liz told the girl, who still looked completely shaken.

The girl nodded wearily. She looked around at all the people before landing on Lexi and Damon who were at the bar. The girl pointed at the bar and Liz's face darkened looking over at the blonde who was sitting next to Damon Salvatore, not knowing the latter was the one who actually did it. The sheriff pushed the girl over to one of the guards and then gestured to the other two police officer to follow her.

* * *

Charlene left Stefan and Megan so they could have some time alone. She hoped they would be able to work things out. She liked them together. Elena joined her and they talked for a little bit when Charlene noticed something from the corner of her eye.

Sheriff Forbes was taking away Lexi!

Charlene gasped in shock and horror. She didn't hesitate to start running, ignoring Elena calling out her name. Charlene wanted to stop whatever was happening, even though she had no idea what was going on.

It was too late.

Her eyes widened in horror as Damon staked Lexi. "No!" she cried out and went to run, but she was held back by Stefan, who also had tight grip on Megan.

"Stefan, what are you doing?! We have to stop him!" Charlene told Stefan, but he shook his head.

"It's too late…" he whispered sadly.

Once everyone was gone, Stefan pulled away and stormed off. Charlene quickly followed with Megan right behind her.

Megan tried to grab his arm but it was no use.

"He killed her!" Stefan exclaimed angrily. "He killed Zach; he killed Tanner; he turned Vicki and Charlene, I have to kill him!"

"No Stefan! You can't do that!" Charlene told him loudly, not knowing where the sudden need to keep Damon safe was coming from.

Stefan turned around quickly, causing them to jump. He looked furiously and it was scary to see him like this. Especially Megan. Something Charlene noticed and she pushed her best friend behind to protect, just in case.

"Why are you trying to save him?!" he roared angrily. "Charlene, he's never going to change! Don't you see that?! He's never gonna change!"

"I know that!" Charlene yelled. "I know that better than anyone! He's a dick and doesn't care about anyone but himself, but Stefan, don't be like him! If you kill him that will just make you just as bad as he is!"

Megan stepped around Charlene and she didn't stop her. Her best friend grabbed Stefan's face, forcing him to look at her.

"We're trying to save you, not Damon." Megan told him desperately. "You have no idea what that would do to you!" She basically took what Charlene said, but put it in a nicer way.

Stefan pulled his face away from Megan's grip. "Everywhere I've been, pain and death follow; Damon follows. No more." He tried to walk away again but Megan stopped him again, grabbing his hand and staring at him pleadingly even though he wasn't looking at her.

"Just talk to me, Stefan." She pleaded. " _Please._ Let me be here for you. _For once_."

He pulled his hand away, stepping back from the two of them. "No. Megan, you were right to stay from him."

Finally, he left and this time, Megan let him as she fell to her knees, letting out a sob. Charlene quickly joined and hugged her tightly, letting her cry into her chest.

* * *

Before the sun came back up, Charlene went back to the boarding house and she went into the kitchen. She found Damon there drinking a glass of human blood.

"What you did to Lexi was horrible." Those were the first words Charlene said to him.

Damon rolled his eyes. "I already got it from Stefan, no need to add onto it."

"I would just be glad he didn't kill you."

"And I know I have you to thank for that." Damon said, smirking a little.

"I didn't do it for you. I did it for Stefan." Charlene told him. For some reason, she didn't believe her words.

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Alright. Whatever you say."

"Why did you do it?"

"I did it to get them off our trail. Just be glad I didn't decide to use you instead."

"I would rather you have used me." Charlene said, completely serious. He looked at her surprised and she stepped forward. "I'm not good at this, being a vampire, I can't control myself. I didn't want to admit it but I can't. And I know it won't be the last time…not if I don't learn how to control myself around human blood. So, against my better judgement, I want your help."

Damon thought about it. "Okay. But I can't do that if you don't have this." He pulled out her daylight ring and tossed it to her.

Charlene caught it easily before she slipped it on her ring as she looked up at him. "Thank you…"

"No, thank you." Damon smirked widely. "This is gonna be fun."

God, she better not regret this…

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **History Repeating, Part 1...**

 **This was such a fun chapter to write! So I hope you enjoyed reading it! Until next time on Surviving Vampires 101! Please leave reviews! And tell me what you think about Damon teaching Charlene how to control herself with human blood? Is she gonna regret it like she thinks it will? Probably. I guess we'll see. ;)**


	23. History Repeating, Part 1

****Disclaimer:**** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 ** **Author's Note:**** And here is the first part of History Repeating! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

* * *

Bonnie sat in her math classroom, listening to the teacher go on and on about some math problem. She wasn't really paying attention. Bonnie yawned before looking around to make sure no one saw her, especially the teacher. Last thing she needed was to get in trouble. Her eyes started to flutter close and she rested her head on her desk. From the corner of her eye, she could have sworn she saw someone in the hallway and she lifted her head up, staring for a moment. Unable to stop her curiosity, she quietly made her way out of the classroom and into the hallway.

Bonnie looked around, seeing nothing but then from the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow and started to walk down the hallway. She didn't walk for too long as she stopped walking.

"Hello?" Bonnie called out.

No one responded. She started walking again only to stop again when she made it to the double doors that headed outside. Standing beside the doors, there was a woman, who glanced up at her for a moment before heading out the double doors. Confused but somehow feeling that she could trust this woman, Bonnie followed the woman through the double doors only to find herself in an old grave yard. She looked around as she walked, hearing the leaves crunching beneath her feet.

Her gaze landed on the woman who was little ways from her. The woman stared at her for a moment before turning and walking away. Bonnie quickly followed the woman and found her staring at an old crumbled building. She stood back as far as she could but Bonnie was still able to see the woman. The woman looked at her with a pleading expression.

"Please, help me!" the woman pleaded.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Emily. You know that. We're family."

"Where am I?" Bonnie questioned.

Emily looked away from her, glancing back at the old crimpled building. "This is where it all started." She looked back at Bonnie and she continued, her voice harsh, "And this is where it has to end."

Bonnie shook her head, "No…no this isn't real!"

She tried running away one way but was blocked by Emily. Bonnie then tried running the way but found herself being blocked again.

"Help me," Emily said in misty voice.

Bonnie awoke with a loud gasp. She looked around and saw that she was back in the classroom. Everyone was staring. Glancing at the girl, who sat on the left side and was staring at her weird, Bonnie looked at her, annoyed.

"What are you looking at? Turn around."

The girl did as she said and looked back at teacher. Bonnie sighed before looking on the right side of her and let out a frightened scream when she saw Emily sitting in the seat beside her. She awoke again with a start, this time finding herself back in the grave yard.

* * *

After what had happened with Lexi, Megan hadn't wanted to go back to school. There was more important things that was going on besides school, but she ended up going with the annoyance persistence of Bonnie, Elena, and Charlene, who was returning back to school after getting the okay from Stefan.

Speaking of Stefan, Megan hadn't heard from him in days. She was completely worried about him and wondered if he was okay. Though she figured he wasn't, his best friend got killed. If it had been Charlene, Megan would have reacted the same way as Stefan did. Even the thought of it made her shudder. Megan knew he hadn't killed Damon like he had wanted to as Charlene had told her about it, so she relieved that hadn't happened. Not for Damon's sake but for Stefan's.

Deciding to push her worry for Stefan away for the time being, Megan went back to paying attention to Caroline as the blonde ranted to her, Elena, and Charlene about Bonnie. She couldn't really say anything about it because that was her sister and she could see where her sister was coming from.

"Have you talked to Bonnie?" Elena asked her.

Caroline rolled her eyes in response. "No, I'm mad at her." She crossed her arms as she stared forward, a stubborn look on her face. "She needs to make the first movie."

"Be the bigger person." Elena advised.

The blonde scoffed. "Impossible in her presence."

"Sorry to ask, but why are you mad at her anyway?" Charlene questioned, confused.

"She's a thief…that's why. I gave her my necklace, and she refuses to give it back." Caroline explained.

Megan decided to speak up for the first since this conversation began. "She's not giving it to you because you're just going to give back to Damon. Wasn't the necklace his to begin with anyway?"

"Well yeah…but…" she started, but Megan interrupted.

"Exactly. You can't trust Damon Salvatore. Haven't you learned from what happened last time you trusted him?"

Caroline said nothing for a moment, but when she did, she changed the subject. "Still. I'm not talking to her until she apologizes. It's a matter of principle."

Elena sighed at her stubbornness while Megan rolled her eyes and Charlene shook her head. There was no point of arguing with her about it. Once Caroline Forbes made her mind up, there was no way to change it.

"Alright." Elena relented. "Well, I tried. I'm officially out of it."

"Me too." Megan hadn't wanted to be part of it anyway. Yeah, Caroline was her friend, but Bonnie was her sister so last thing she needed was to get in the middle of that.

"Same." Charlene agreed. Her phone suddenly went off and she pulled it from her pocket, glancing down at the screen. "I'll see you guys later!" She announced. Before either of them could ask where she was going, Charlene had already disappeared down the sidewalk.

"What was that?" Caroline asked, startled by Charlene's sudden disappearance.

Megan frowned at the spot where her best friend had been. "I have no idea." Her best friend had been acting a little weird ever since what happened with Lexi, but Charlene hadn't mentioned anything to her if there was something wrong, so it was probably nothing.

Caroline shook her head and changed the subject. "Where's Stefan? Have you talked to him?"

"No. I haven't." Megan said with a sigh. "He's been avoiding me." She shook her head. "Can we not talk about Stefan? Please. I just want to go to school and not have to think or talk about him. Elena and Caroline shared concerned looks, but they nodded. Megan sighed in relief. "Thank you. I'll see you later."

Fixing her bag over her shoulder, she left them alone. She didn't mean to be so mean about it, but she just didn't want to talk about him. It was too painful to talk about.

Megan wasn't paying attention and she ended up bumping into someone. She apologized immediately, looking up to see who she ran into. She didn't recognize him at all. He looked around Jenna's age, extremely handsome too.

"I'm so sorry!" Megan apologized again when he didn't say anything. She smiled sheepishly. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going.'

The man smiled kindly. "It's alright, no harm done. Are you alright?"

Megan was surprised by how concerned he sounded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a lot on my mind, that's all." She smiled back. "That's for asking." She stood there for a moment. "Well, again sorry. See ya." She gave him one last smile before she walked past him to head inside the school, wondering if she was going to see him again. He seemed really nice.

She entered her history classroom and sat down in her seat. She was the only person in the room at the moment. Megan glanced at the seat where Stefan usually sat at, hoping he showed up today. Of course she cursed herself for it. She wasn't supposed to be thinking about him today. It was obviously easier said than done especially when everything reminded her of him. Megan sighed as she pulled out her history book, her notebook, and a pencil, waiting for the class to start. Soon, more students filled the classroom. Elena showed up and so did Bonnie, but Stefan nor Charlene was in sight.

Where was her best friend? Charlene was usually never late to class. Megan was worried. Not just for her best friend, but for Bonnie as well, who looked upset about _something_. Before she could ask her what was wrong, the man who she bumped into entered the room and went up to the board. Megan stared at his back, surprised. He must be the new History teacher.

"Good morning, everyone." He greeted the class. "Alright."

He wrote his name on the board. Alaric. Megan never heard of that name before. It was an interesting one to say the least. Megan looked over at her sister and seeing her chance, she mouthed.

'Are you okay?'

Bonnie just shrugged and Megan frowned as Alaric started speaking again.

"Alaric Saltzman. It's a mouthful, I know. Doesn't exactly roll off the tongue." He turned around, facing the students and catching Megan's gaze. She gave him a brief smile in response. "Saltzman is of German origins. My family immigrated here in 1755 to Texas. I, however, was born and raised in Boston. Now the name Alaric belongs to a very dead great-grandfather I will never be able to thank enough. You'll probably want to pronounce ' _A_ laric' but it's 'Al _a_ ric', okay? So, you can call me Rick. I'm your new history teacher."

Megan had a feeling that she was going to really like this new teacher, but there was something about him that was odd. However, she didn't know what it was. Megan was still worried about Charlene as she never even showed up for class. Where could she be at?

* * *

Charlene was in the nearby woods where she first learned to hunt for animals, waiting for Damon to come. She had been training with him for at least a week. It hadn't been too bad actually and so far she didn't regret asking him to help her, but it was still early. Damon had texted her at school, which was why she left so quickly without explaining where she was going.

Charlene knew Megan figured something was going with her. Normally, she would tell her best friend about something this important, but she couldn't tell her. Not because she didn't want to, but because Megan just wouldn't understand why she asked for Damon's help in the first place. If Stefan was on the human diet, she would be working with him but he wasn't, so here she was, getting taught how to feed on humans by Damon Salvatore.

"What took you so long?" Charlene questioned the oldest Salvatore as he finally walked up to her.

"Had to get Saint Stefan off to school." He explained, but said nothing more on the subject. "Come on, let's get started." He said nothing as he turned around and walked off.

Charlene stared after him for a moment before quickly following behind him. He didn't go that far and there was a girl with him now. Immediately, Charlene could smell the blood on her as she already had a bloody wound on her neck, probably from where Damon bit her at.

He smirked. "Got her all ready for ya, Charlie."

Damon shoved the girl in her direction. The blonde's face started to change since the blood was closer to her now. The girl looked frightened and just about ready to scream. Charlene moved quickly, grabbing onto her shoulders in a vice grip and stared into her eyes, compelling the girl quickly before the girl could scream. Without hesitating, the blonde bit into her neck and drank from her. Charlene barely heard Damon from behind her, getting lost in the pleasure of the blood going down her throat.

"I want you to stop." He breathed hotly into her ear. "Bring yourself back to reality."

Charlene tried, thinking about something other than blood. She thought about Megan, and about what if this girl was her best friend that she was trying to drain dry. It instantly brought her back and Charlene shoved the girl away from her. Just in the nick of time too. If she had waited any longer, the young girl would have been dead.

Damon caught her and he bit into his wrist, blood flowing from it. Charlene watched with half lidded eyes as he fed the girl his blood so it would heal her. Not for the first time, she wondered what it would feel like to drink another vampire's blood. She knew she had before when Damon had turned her, but she couldn't help but wonder if it would taste any different now that she was a vampire herself. She never asked Damon about because she thought it would be too weird to ask.

"Now, I want you to make her forget." Damon told her, pulling his wrist away from the girl. "Do it just like you do when you compel your victim not to be afraid of you, got it?"

Charlene gave a nod and grabbed the girl, bringing her up to her. Her eyes met the girl's, causing her pupils to dilate.

"I want you to forget everything you've seen today. Now, go."

The girl nodded with a blank look on her face before she disappeared. Once she was gone, Charlene turned to Damon.

"How was that?" she asked hopefully.

"Much better, but you still have a lot to learn."

"What did I do wrong?" Charlene inquired, wanting to know so she could fix it.

"It wasn't much. The only thing was that you weren't able to stop yourself. I won't always be there to stop you from killing someone. I can barely even stop myself half the time." Damon smirked, thinking he was being funny. He wasn't funny at all, in Charlene's opinion. It was wrong to even joke about killing someone. "Other than that, you did a pretty good job."

Charlene thought she did much better than that. The fact she didn't kill that girl was a success in her book.

"Thanks." Charlene said, deciding to just take the compliment. "I should go back to school. I've already missed one of my classes so I should go back before Megan and Elena get worried, well more worried than they already are." She went to leave but Damon stopped her.

"Have you told Megan about this?" he asked, gesturing to them.

"About you training me? No, I haven't told her. Have you told Stefan?" Charlene hoped he didn't because this was definitely something he would tell his brother just to get on his nerves.

"No."

"Good." Charlene said in relief. "I want him to hear it from me. I'll tell him eventually and same goes for Megan." She changed the subject. "I'll see you later." That was the last thing she said to him before using her vampire speed to get back to school.

Charlene got there easily and she went inside, heading over to her locker to grab her lunch since it was lunch time now. Megan was already there. Immediately, her best friend cried out in relief.

"There you are! What happened to you?"

"It's nothing. I just lost track of time." Charlene lied through her teeth.

Megan crossed her arms, the look on her face obviously giving off the fact that she didn't believe her. At all.

"Seriously, Char. What's going on? You've been acting strange ever since the thing with Lexi. Whatever it is, you can tell me."

Charlene sighed. She knew Megan was right, but she was worried about her reaction. But it looked like her telling her best friend about her and Damon eventually was happening sooner than she wanted it too. Charlene could never keep a secret from Megan for long and this one was no exception.

"Alright fine, I'll tell you, but please don't be mad."

"I won't." Megan promised, crossing her heart.

Charlene sighed again. "Okay…Damon…has been teaching me how to feed on humans."

"WHAT?!" she exclaimed in shock.

Charlene slapped her hand over her best friend's mouth, shushing her as everyone looked in their direction. "Not so loud…" she whispered. "Yes, Damon's been teaching me how to feed on humans. But it's only so I can control myself on human blood."

"What about doing the animal diet?" Megan demanded. "I thought Stefan was teaching you that."

"He was…but I can't do animal blood…Megan…" Charlene said quietly. "I've tried and it's just not working out. But every time I feed on humans…I've lost control…and I've killed them…"

"Char…" Megan looked at her wide eyed, but there was sadness in them, knowing how she was when she killed someone before.

Only difference was, Charlene liked it this time. "I know…Damon's been helping me with it. I've been doing well, and after I'm done learning how to control myself around human blood, I'm going to go straight to blood bags. Then I won't have to kill anyone."

"I can't believe your trusting Damon with this." Megan shook her head. "But…it's your decision, Charlene. Even if I'm not happy about it, I'll always respect your decisions. I love you."

"I love you too." Charlene said softly, bringing her best friend into a hug. "And thank you, I really appreciate it."

Megan pulled back from the hug and smiled. "Of course." She said nothing for a moment. "Have you told Stefan?"

"God no, can you imagine how he'd react if I told him that? He'd be pissed. You know how he feels about Damon."

"And how do you feel about him? Has it changed?" Megan questioned.

Charlene went silent but it didn't last long. "No. I still think he's an evil psychopath, and I can't trust him.'

"But you can trust him teaching you how to feed on humans?"

"I know it doesn't make sense, but yeah…" Charlene answered, looking down at her feet for a moment. Then she looked back up and changed the subject. "Let's go to lunch."

Megan slowly nodded and she followed Charlene as they headed outside to have lunch.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **History Repeating, Part 2...**

 **Don't you just love Charlene and Megan's friendship? It's honestly one of the best things about this story. I mean, I loved it on Surviving in the World of Vampires, but I think I love it on this one even more. :) Anyway, I hoped you guys enjoyed the chapter! Please leave more reviews and tell ne what you thought about the first part of this episode! Until next time on Surviving Vampires 101!**


	24. History Repeating, Part 2

****Disclaimer:**** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 ** **Author's Note:**** And here is the second part of History Repeating! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

* * *

Megan and Charlene joined Bonnie and Elena for lunch at a table outside of the school. It was quiet between the four girls but it didn't last that long as Bonnie started talking about this strange dream that she had. Her sister ended up telling Charlene and Elena about her powers as well, and both of them believed her. Megan figured Charlene would, considering her best friend knew about her powers for the longest time. Since Bonnie told them, she decided tell Elena about it too.

It felt good to get that secret out of the way. Megan halfway listened to Bonnie since her mind was on what Charlene had revealed to her. She couldn't believe it, but like she had told her best friend, it was her decision to trust Damon with something like that. It was still crazy to her that her best friend trusted Damon Salvatore of all people. _So crazy_.

"And then, I ended up at the remains of the old Fell's church before I woke up at the woods." Bonnie finished off, shaking her head a little.

Elena spoke, eyebrows furrowed. "And you always see your ancestor Emily?"

"Mhm…do you believe in ghosts?"

"Two weeks ago, I'd say no but…" Elena said.

"I do." Megan answered, causing everyone to look over at her. "I mean, if witches can exist, why not ghosts?"

Bonnie sighed. "Because I think I'm being haunted."

"I don't get it. Why Emily?"

"Grams said she was a powerful witch back in the Civil War days, and that this medallion was hers. A witch's talisman."

"So, did it start when you got the necklace?" Charlene questioned Bonnie.

She nodded. "I think she's using it to communicate with me."

"I think you should talk to Grams about this, Bon." Megan told her sister seriously. "If anyone would know this, it would be Grams."

"I can't call her. She's going to tell me to embrace it. I don't want to embrace it. I want it to stop."

Megan said nothing for a moment. "I know you do, Bonnie, but this isn't something you can run away from. It's who you are, and the sooner you embrace it, the sooner everything will fall into place."

Her sister didn't say anything, probably not knowing what to say to that. Megan knew it would be hard for her stubborn sister to embrace the witch side of her, but her sister would have to eventually, or she had a feeling it wouldn't be good for any of them.

* * *

Jeremy stood outside of the history classroom, watching the new history teacher who was eating a sandwich. "Mr. Saltzman." He called making himself known. Once the teacher looked over at him, he continued, "I'm Jeremy Gilbert. You wanted to see me." Alaric gestured him in and he walked inside the classroom.

Alaric cleared his throat and started to speak as Jeremy headed over to him. "You know that your old teacher had a jackass file." He said, looking at the young boy who was sitting on top of one of the desks. Jeremy rolled his eyes and he went on, "No joke. It's…typed on a label. It has all the—" He began going through the pages in the file but continued to speak as he did so, "Troublemakers in it but really it's just an opus... to you." He closed the file and stood up, going over to the trash can. "Don't worry about it." He threw the file in the trash can, surprising Jeremy. "I'm not him. Clean slate." He stopped in front of the young man and crossed his arms over his chest. "Now…let's talk about grades."

"I know it's been a rough couple of months, but I've been trying to turn them around." Jeremy said honestly.

"Yeah, I saw that." Alaric told him with a nod. "But the problem is we're halfway through a semester and…half a fail is still pretty bleak." Jeremy didn't say anything. "This is the part where you say to me: "But what can I do to change that?" I'm glad you asked. How do you feel about extra credit?"

"Yeah, yeah, totally, whatever." Jeremy was quick to agree.

"Good." Alaric said. "Write me a paper then."

The sound of students filling the halls for the end of the school day sounded through the room.

"Okay, what about?"

"History," Alaric answered simply. "Pick a topic. But keep it local and no Wikipedia regurgitate. These old towns have a rich history so just... get your hands dirty, make it sing and your back on track. Deal?" He held out a hand.

Jeremy shook it, grinning. "Yeah. Deal." He took notice to the ring on the teacher's finger. "That's a cool ring." He pulled his backpack over his right shoulder.

"Oh thanks," Ric said. He twirled the ring around his finger, looking down at it. "My Father gave it to me. A little garish, but family. You know." He looked back up at Jeremy with a smile.

Jeremy smiled back before heading to the classroom door but stopped in his tracks at the sound of his teacher's voice. He turned to the History teacher.

"You got a week." Ric said, sitting back down in his chair. He nodded and left the classroom.

* * *

Megan was so relieved when school was over for the day. She was ready to go home, crawl into bed, and just sleep, and pretend that she hadn't been thinking Stefan all day. That was the plan, but fate had different plans.

She looked up from her feet, only to find Stefan sitting on one of the tables outside. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him.

He gave her a brief smile.

"Bye Megan!" One of her friends in her math shouted, catching her attention.

"See ya." Megan gave a brief response back before turning her attention back to the Stefan. She bit her bottom lip as she headed over to him. "Hey…"

"Hi…" he said softly.

Megan didn't realize how much she missed him until she saw him standing right in front of her. "You weren't in class, I was worried." She admitted.

"I know…I got your messages, and I'm sorry I didn't get back to you, but what I wanna say shouldn't be said over the phone."

"You could have just sent me a quick text, Stefan. Just so I knew you were okay…" Megan told him softly, crossing her arms. "And to let me know you didn't kill your brother." Even though she didn't need to know that, considering Charlene had already informed her that Damon was alive and well.

"I didn't kill my brother, as much as he deserved it. He has Charlene to thank for that."

Megan didn't comment as she changed the subject. "So…what exactly did you need to talk to me about?"

"I won't be coming to school anymore." Stefan informed, and Megan's heart fell as her arms slipped down to her sides. "I'm gonna back off and keep my distance. It's the right thing to do."

"Which part? Away from school or away from me?" Megan snapped, crossing her arms again. He went silent and looked down at his feet. Tears started welling in her eyes. "Okay, great. Happy to know how much you actually care about me…"

"Megan…"

She shook her head immediately. "No, I don't want to hear it, Stefan." But it didn't stop him from saying it.

"It's better this way."

"Right, of course it is." Megan retorted, anger in her tone.

"You're angry. That's good. It'll be easier if you hate me."

Megan slowly shook her head. "I could never hate you, Stefan. No matter how many times you push me away." She met his gaze. "So, leave. If that's what you really want. Goodbye Stefan." With those words, she turned around and walked away, even if it killed her inside to do so.

* * *

Charlene walked out into the parking lot, and spotted Damon following Bonnie. She growled under her breath as she hurried over to the two of them and made it there before anything could happen.

"Get in the car, Bonnie." Charlene ordered her, and she quickly listened as she got into the car. "Damon, leave her alone. She has nothing to do with this."

"She has everything to do with this." He countered. "If she doesn't give me that necklace, then I'll force her to give it to me."

"It's not even yours to have, Damon. That necklace belongs to Bonnie, and you know it. If you don't leave her alone, I'll…"

"You'll what?" He interrupted with a smirk, leaning towards her.

Charlene didn't bother giving him an answer to that as she glared at him. "Just do it, or I'm done with you." She knew that he would know what she meant. He said nothing, and she gave him one last warning glare before getting into the car with Bonnie. "Go." She told Bonnie and her best friend's sister didn't have to told twice as she started the car and drove off.

They picked up Elena and Megan before leaving the school parking lot and out into the open road.

"He's bad news, Charlene!" Bonnie ranted after explaining what happened to Elena and Megan. "He really scared me."

"He does that to a lot of people." Charlene rolled her eyes before growing serious. "It's best to just stay away from him, Bonnie." Sure, she may trust him with teaching her how to hunt humans without killing them, but she sure as hell didn't trust him away any of her friends.

"I'm trying!" Bonnie protested. "He just keeps showing up."

"Then we won't give him a chance to get you alone, okay?" Charlene told her, reaching out from her seat in the back next to Megan to pat Bonnie on the shoulder. "So, you and Megan are going to stay the night at my and Elena's house. We can even invite Caroline, give you guys a chance to make up, and we can make a whole night of it. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great to me!" Megan agreed. "Anything to get my mind off of Stefan." She sighed, looking outside the window sadly.

"See, this will be great for all of us." Charlene said, slipping her arm around Megan's shoulders.

Suddenly, Bonnie slammed on the breaks, sending everyone forward.

" _Whoa! Bonnie!_ "

She didn't say anything as she quickly pulled the car over and scrambled out. Charlene shared looks with Elena and Megan before they all got out too as they followed Bonnie only to watch as she ripped off the necklace, throwing it into the field.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked, concerned.

Bonnie took in a breath and let it out. "Now I am. All my problems were because of that thing. I can't believe I didn't do that sooner."

"You sure that was a good idea?" Megan questioned worriedly. "What about Grams?"

"Well, Grams isn't being haunted by a hundred and fifty-years old ghost, is she?" Bonnie made a valid point, but Megan still frowned, looking out into the field.

* * *

Megan still didn't think it was a good idea that Bonnie threw the necklace away like that, but knew she was just worried about Damon. She was too, so that was why she decided to call Stefan. If anyone could get him to stay away from her sister, it would be him.

There was a knock at Elena's door as the group got the food ready for their girl's night. Megan excused herself to go answer it, knowing it was Stefan. She opened the door and stepped outside before closing the door and turning around to face Stefan.

"Thanks for coming here, Stefan." Megan said casually, like what happened between them at school didn't happen. "It's really important. I wouldn't have called if it wasn't."

"I know."

Megan explained what happened to him and he stared at her, surprised. "He threatened her, Stefan. And that's something I'm not okay with. He needs to stay away from her."

"What would Damon want with Bonnie?" he questioned, confused.

"She has this necklace." Megan explained, pacing a bit on the porch. "Carole got it from Damon, and she gave it to Bonnie, and now Damon wants it back. He's tormenting her about it."

Stefan stared at her. "Over a necklace?"

"It's not just any necklace. It has to do with Bonnie's heritage, it belonged to one of her ancestors, who lived here during the Civil War…" Megan trailed off, then her eyes widened, realizing that the man in front of her and his brother were born back then. "Did you know her? Her ancestor, Emily?"

He nodded, looking uncomfortable. "She was Katherine's handmaiden, and a witch. And…Demetria's sister."

Megan looked taken back by that. "What? Are you kidding?"

"No…"

She couldn't believe it but decided not to talk any further about that. Bonnie was more important.

"So, now Damon knows about Bonnie being a witch." Megan stated, shaking her head. "And for some reason, he wants that necklace."

"What does it look like?"

"It's an antique iron setting with a—"

"—with amber crystal." Megan nodded, silently telling him that he was correct. "It belonged to Demetria. Emily gave it to her, which means that…"

He trailed off, looking concerned as Megan touched his arm. "What? What does it mean?"

"I don't know." Stefan said with a confused frown, gently taking Megan's hand off his arm. He didn't let go of it as he gave it a squeeze. "But I'm going to find out. Let me talk to Damon."

"Do you think he'll be willing to tell you?" Megan hoped he could, like she thought he would be able to.

"I'll get it out of him."

"I hope so. Whatever he needs that necklace for, it can't be anything good…you need to find out before something bad happens." Megan said softly, staring up at him.

"I'll take care of it." He stared back at her, looking like he wanted to say something else, but he shook his head as he broke the eye contact, thinking better of it. "I'll call you when I find out something."

Megan nodded, looking down at her feet. "Okay…"

When she looked up, Stefan was gone. She sighed, hearing the door open behind her.

"Was that Stefan?" Charlene questioned.

"Yeah…" She turned to face her best friend. "I told him about Damon threatening Bonnie."

Charlene nodded. "Good, is he going to find out what he wants with that necklace?"

"I hope so…I have a feeling if it doesn't, it won't be good for all of us." Megan smiled weakly. "Come on, let's go inside."

Charlene smiled sadly as Megan walked inside the house. They headed to the kitchen with her best friend's arm around her shoulder. Megan leaned her head on her shoulder, grateful to have her in her life.

* * *

"Have you picked a topic?" Jenna asked Jeremy as they sat at a booth in the Mystic Grill.

"No, not yet," Jeremy replied. "It's gotta be local and non-internet research, so..."

"That's easy." Jenna told him. "You got all of your dad's stuff."

He looked confused. "What stuff?"

"How the Gilbert's came over on the Mayflower stuff, all that family lineage from way back." Jenna answered. A smile came upon her face. "Your Dad loved all that family history stuff. It's all boxed up in the closet."

Jeremy nodded, a thinking expression on his face. Jenna's eyes glanced up and she saw Jeremy's teacher, Alaric, coming over to them.

"Mr. Saltzman," Jeremy said brightly.

"Jeremy, what's up man?" Alaric said as they did that fist pump that guys do.

"This is my aunt Jenna," Jeremy told his teacher, pointing to Jenna.

Alaric looked over at Jenna with a smile. "Alaric Saltzman, it's nice to meet you," he said politely.

"Jeremy was just telling me about his paper," Jenna said, staring at him with a thankful smile. "Thanks for giving him another chance."

Alaric continued to smile at Jenna. "It was my first day. I wanted to make a good first impression." He chuckled as Jenna stared at him, memorized.

Jeremy looked back and forth between his teacher and his aunt who continued to stare at each other as if they were the only two on the planet. Over at the bar, sat Damon Salvatore, drinking tequila.

"Hey Stefan."

Damon looked up and saw his brother making his way over to him. He rolled his eyes as Stefan sat down in the seat beside him.

"You know I've been thinking," Stefan continued in a cool voice, trying to imitate Damon and his brother shook his head. "I think that we should start over, give this brother thing another chance. We used to do it, oh, so well once upon a time."

"I don't, Damon, I can't trust you to be a nice guy," Damon mocked, trying to sound like Stefan. "You kill everybody, and you're so mean." Stefan gave his brother an amused look, but he continued, "You're so mean, and..." He shook his head, giving up. "You're really hard to imitate, and then I have to go to that lesser place."

Stefan looked at the bartender, "Can I get a coffee please?" He looked back Damon, "What's with the bottle?" He gestured to the tequila bottle.

"I'm on edge," Damon answered. "Crash diet, and I'm trying to keep a low profile."

"You could always just leave, find a new town to turn into your own gas and sip."

"I'll manage," Damon said coolly.

The bartender sat down the coffee in front of Stefan. "Thanks." He said quietly.

Damon looked at his brother and he poured more tequila into his cup. "You don't have to keep an eye on me."

"I'm not here to keep an eye on you," Stefan said.

"Then why are you here?"

Stefan shrugged, "Why not?"

He grabbed the bottle and walked away. Damon shook his head, got up, and followed his brother out of the Grill.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **History Repeating, Part 3...**

 **Thanks so much for the reviews! I know this chapter isn't very exciting, but the next one should be since that's where all the action is with Emily possessing Bonnie and all lol. Anyway, please leave reviews! And let's find out if we can get this story is up to 100 reviews! Hope you guys are up to the challenge! Until next time Surviving Vampires 101!**


	25. History Repeating, Part 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the third and final part of History Repeating! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

* * *

Caroline finally came over to the house with a large bag of food. It was kind of awkward since her and Bonnie were still on the outs. Charlene hated when her friends were fighting, especially if it was for a stupid reason like this one. This needed to be fixed. Right now. Elena gave Caroline a look, one of many since Caroline came to the house, and finally the blonde broke down.

"I'm sorry." She apologized with a sigh. "There. I said it, if you want to keep the ugly ass necklace, keep it. It's yours."

"See?" Megan nudged Caroline on the shoulder. "That wasn't so hard."

The blonde just gave her an exasperated look while Charlene and Elena stifled a laugh.

Bonnie just looked guilty for good reason, of course. "Will you hate me if I tell you I threw it away?"

Caroline gaped at her. "You threw it away!" she exclaimed, annoyed.

"I know it sounds crazy, but the necklace was giving me nightmares. I had to get rid of it."

The blonde crossed her arms. "You could have just given it back to me." She mumbled.

"Why? So, you can give it back to Damon?" Elena questioned with a frown.

"Screw Damon." Caroline snapped.

"No thanks, I'm good." Charlene joked, causing there to be a fit of giggles to be shared between the group. She smiled after they settled down. She was happy to break the tenseness of the moment.

Caroline shook her head, smiling. "So, are we doing manicures or what? Who has their kit?"

"Mine's in my bag." Bonnie told her, causing her to nod and head over to her bag.

Caroline riffled through her bag for the kit. "So, Megan…how long to do you think this fight with Stefan's gonna last? Is it a permanent thing?" Megan just shrugged, not say anything as she didn't want to talk about it, and she didn't press about it any further. The next time she did speak, there was anger in her tone. "Why are you such a little liar, Bonnie?"

"What?" She said, startled.

"Caroline!" Elena exclaimed astonished.

"Caroline, where did that come from?!" Charlene snapped, unable to believe she said that. She thought everything was okay now.

In response, the blonde held up the crystal and the rest of the group gaped at her in shock.

"I'm not lying to you, Caroline." Bonnie protested. "I swear."

"It's true!" Elena added.

"Yeah!" Megan agreed. "All of us saw her throw it out."

"Then explain it!" Caroline snapped, frustrated.

Bonne sighed. "Emily."

Caroline looked at her, confused. "Who's Emily?"

"The ghost."

"Oh, the ghost has a name now?" Caroline mocked.

Elena crossed her arms. "Caroline, please."

"I wonder why she won't leave me alone." Bonnie said quietly to Caroline, Elena, and Megan.

"What is it going on?!" Caroline demanded. "Why am I not part of this conversation? You guys do this to me all the time! Especially you and Elena, Bonnie!"

"That's not true." Elena protested.

"I'm a witch." Bonnie blurted out.

"And don't we all know it." Caroline said sarcastically.

"See?!" Bonnie exclaimed, silencing the talkative blonde. "That's what I'm talking about. I'm trying to tell you something. You don't even here it." She shook her head sadly before storming off.

Caroline watched her go before whirling around to the others. "I listen. When do I not listen?"

Charlene didn't know what to say to that as Elena ran after Bonnie to comfort her. Well, so much for a fun girl's night…

* * *

Going to get herself a drink from the kitchen, Megan left Bonnie and Caroline to figure out their problems for themselves. She glanced down at her phone, checking again to see Stefan had called yet with information about Damon but he hadn't. Megan sighed to herself, hoping that he would be able to find something out.

"He still hasn't called yet?" Charlene's voice sounded from behind her.

"No, not yet. I hope everything's going okay…"

"I'm sure it is, Megan. If anyone can get it out of Damon, it would be Stefan."

Megan smiled briefly, turning around to face her best friend. "Yeah, I hope so."

Charlene opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Caroline's voice.

"Come on guys!" she exclaimed excitedly, running to the two of them with Bonnie and Elena behind her. Everything seemed to be okay now.

"What is it?" Megan asked, confused as to what had the blonde so excited.

"We're going to have séance." Caroline grinned before racing upstairs.

Charlene blinked, turning towards her sister and Megan's. "What?"

Elena shook her head. "It was Caroline's idea." She followed after Caroline.

"I still think it's a bad idea." Bonnie sighed, but she ended up going upstairs too.

Charlene and Megan shared a look. Well, that was going to be interesting. Once they went upstairs, everything got set up and all of them were down on the ground with unlit candles all around them.

"What are we doing?" Bonnie asked, under her breath to Elena.

"I don't know…" she said.

"I don't even know why we're doing this in the first place." Megan was uncomfortable with this. It was never a good thing to talk to the dead.

Charlene grabbed her hand and squeezed it in comfort as Caroline shushed them.

"Be quiet and concentrate." The blonde closed her eyes. "Close your eyes. Now take a deep breath." She took one and let it out. "Bonnie, call to her."

Bonnie closed her eyes. "Emily, you there?" she called out, but it wasn't very convincing as Caroline opened her eyes, giving her friend a sharp look.

"Really? 'Emily, you here?' That's all you got? Come on."

Elena, Megan, and Charlene all stifled their laugher as Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"Fine, geez." She tried again, closing her eyes again. "Emily. I call on you. I know you have a message. I'm here to listen."

All the sudden, the candles flared stronger. Megan jumped and shuddered, feeling the air start to grow cold around her. She didn't know if Bonnie noticed but she sure did.

Elena's eyes widened. "Did that just…"

"Yeah, it just happened…" Caroline said, mouth slightly open in surprise.

"It's just the air conditioning." Bonnie quickly excused it.

Though she knew she was a witch, Megan guessed it was still hard to comprehend to her. "Yeah…that's it…" she mumbled as she wrapped her arms around her slightly shivering body.

"Ask her to show you a sign. Ask her." Bonnie didn't, so Caroline took over. "Emily, if you're among us, show us another sign."

They waited for a moment, but nothing happened. Megan let out a sigh of relief. Maybe Emily wasn't here.

"See? It's not working." Bonnie said. But as soon as those words left her mouth, the window burst open right near and it scared her, causing her to jump to her feet. "I can't, I'm done!" She ripped the necklace off of her neck and threw it on the ground next to candles, which blew out, only scaring her more. "Get the light! Please, get the light!"

"Hold on. I got it!" Elena ran over to the light switch, turning them on.

Megan quickly went over to Bonnie to make sure she was okay. "Bonnie, are you alright?" Her sister didn't respond, staring forward with her eyes wide. "Bon, what is it?"

Finally, she looked over at everyone. "You guys, the necklace. It's gone."

Megan looked, and sure enough, it was gone.

* * *

Stefan and Damon were now down in the football field at the high school. Stefan ran out in the middle of the field before turning to face Damon with the football in hand.

"What are we doin' here?" Damon questioned bluntly, watching to get to the point.

"Bonding." Stefan answered, simply. "Catch!" He threw the football at Damon who immediately caught it with one hand. With a smirk, Damon walked over to Stefan, throwing the ball back to his little brother gently. "Go on, give it a try." He pressed his brother, tossing the ball back to him once he was close enough.

Damon sat down the tequila bottle before straightening up and getting ready to throw the football. He smirked. "Don't forget who taught you how to play this game." He reminded.

He threw the football as far as he could and used his vampire speed to catch it down the field. Just as he was about to run, Stefan tackled him, causing both the brothers to tumble down laughing. Damon chuckled as he went to lie down on his back. He glanced over at Stefan and saw that he did the same thing.

Damon looked away and laughed, staring up at the dark sky. "That hurt."

"Downside to my diet…getting hit actually really hurts more…" Stefan said with a chuckle.

"I'm impressed. Stefan." Damon said, out of breath. "Fun with Booze and darts, sentimental with football, and now starry night." He sat back up and looked down at his brother. "What do you want, Stefan?"

Stefan sighed as he sat up as well and it was silent for a moment before he spoke up. "It wasn't real Damon," he said. Damon just scoffed and looked away shaking his head. but he went on, "Our love for Demetria and Abigail. They compelled us. We didn't have a choice. Took me years to sort that out, too fully understand what they did to us."

"Oh no Stefan," Damon said, shaking his head as he stood up. "We're not takin' that on tonight." He started to walk away but he didn't get that far when Stefan asked,

"What do you want with Katherine's crystal?"

Damon stopped in his walking and turned to face his brother. "How do you know about that?" he asked confused.

Stefan stood up, "Come on. You knew that Megan would call me and tell me about you threatening Bonnie and about the crystal."

"Besides that, how do you know that it's Katherine's? It could have been Demi or Abigail's crystal."

"Because I was the last one to see Katherine before she died, and she had the crystal on," Stefan answered. "Now want do you want with Katherine's crystal?"

"She didn't tell you?" Damon didn't even wait for an answer. "I'm going to bring her back."

"No…you mean…" Stefan said shocked.

Damon smirked, "Oh yeah. I'm bringing Abigail back."

* * *

Elena was the one to break the shocked silence, turning towards Caroline. "Okay, fun's over, Caroline." She said. "You made your point, and I get it. Now, give it back."

"What? Well, I didn't take it!" she protested. "What? What happened?"

"I don't know. Nothing. Jeremy, are you home?" Elena walked out into the hallway to check for him, leaving the rest of them in there.

"Do you feel anything?" Charlene asked Megan under her breath.

"I did…" she mumbled. The coldness she had felt was gone but it still lingered in the air, just not enough to pinpoint where it was anymore.

"Guys…"

Megan looked up to see find Bonnie in the bathroom. Before she could even say anything, the door suddenly closed, locking her sister inside.

"Bonnie!" she cried out as both she and Charlene ran towards the door with Caroline and Elena, who showed back up again when she heard her cry out, quickly right behind them.

"You guys open the door!" Bonnie exclaimed from inside the bathroom, frightened. "Help me!"

"Bonnie! Bonnie! What's going on?!"

"Bonnie!"

They all pounded at the door and tried to get it open as Bonnie continued to scream for help.

"Bonnie! Bonnie! Unlock the door!"

Megan pulled on the doorknob as hard as she could, but it wouldn't budge. "This isn't funny, open the door!"

The door finally opened, revealing Bonnie on the other side with her head in her hands.

"Bonnie!" Elena sighed in relief. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Bonnie lifted her head. "I'm fine…" she stated calmly, too calmly if you asked Megan.

"Unbelievable." Caroline said angrily. "You were totally faking it!"

"Caroline, come on…" Elena told her.

"No! You scared the hell out of me." She stormed off and Megan turned towards her sister.

"Are you really okay, Bonnie?" she asked.

"I'm fine." Her sister repeated, staring at her, almost blankly. "Everything's fine…"

* * *

"How can you bring Abigail back?" Stefan demanded as they walked out of the football field.

Damon stopped walking and turned face Stefan as his brother stood in front of him. "Before Abigail and the others were killed in the church, do you remember what it was like in this time?" He questioned, ignoring Stefan's question.

Stefan nodded. "I remember the fear and the hysteria."

"Townspeople were killing vampires one by one," Damon said. "When they came for Abigail, I went straight to Emily and said, 'I'll do anything. Name your price. Just to protect her.' She did."

"How?"

"She did some kind of spell with the crystal. And while the church was burning and when we thought Katherine, Abigail, and Demetria was burning in it…they weren't."

"But I saw them go inside," Stefan said.

"There's a tome underneath the church," Damon started to explain. "The spell sealed them in that tome, protecting them."

Stefan's eyes widened, "Are you telling me that they're all alive?"

"If that's what you wanna call it, they've been trapped in a mystical holding cell for the last century and a half, but you're an expert on starving a vampire, so how do you think they're doing, Stefan?" Not waiting for a reply, he asked another question, "Did you know that witches can use celestial events to draw energy to their magic? Neither did I. But in order to give the crystal power, Emily used the comet that was passing overhead and in order for that crystal to work again…"

"The comet had to return," Stefan finished in an awed voice.

"Downside...Long time in between comets and a couple of hiccups along the way with the crystal but the comet passed, and I got the crystal. And then Caroline got the crystal, and now Bonnie has the crystal and here we are." Damon finished.

However, there was something else that Stefan wanted to know. "Why would Emily…why would she do this for you?" Stefan asked.

"Because she knew they were gonna come for her, too, and she made me promise that her lineage would survive," Damon answered.

Stefan nodded. "I remember, you saved her children," he said.

"It's the only thing keeping me from ripping that little Bonnie girl's throat out to get my crystal back…and…" Damon sighed exasperatingly shrugging his shoulders, "Well a deal's a deal. So…wanna go throw some more." He walked away again as Stefan stared after him.

* * *

Charlene was right behind Elena, Megan, and Caroline as they ran down the stairs, trying to catch up to Bonnie.

"Are you okay?" Elena called after Bonnie, concerned.

She stopped and whirled around. "I must go."

"If she's leaving, I'm leaving." Caroline informed, crossing her arms.

"You guys can't leave." Elena said in exasperation.

Caroline glared at her heatedly. "I can. I've had enough freaky fake witch stuff for one night."

Bonnie turned her gaze to Charlene. The way she looked at her made her feel uncomfortable, like she was staring into Charlene's soul.

"Thank you for having me. I'll take it from here."

"Where are you going?" Megan questioned.

"Back to the place where it all began." Bonnie said eerily as she started to leave again but Megan rushed down the stairs only to grab onto her arm.

Immediately, she let out a sharp gasp. "Emily!"

Charlene's eyes widened at that. Oh, my God. Emily had taken over Bonnie's body.

 _Emily_ ripped her arm from Megan's grip. "I won't let him have it. It must be destroyed."

"Then let me help you."

"I must do it myself. This has nothing to do with you." With that, she ran down the rest of the doors and went out the door.

Megan raced after her, trying to open the door but Emily must have spelled it yet.

"Damnit!" she cursed out loudly.

"What's happening?"

"I don't know. The door, it's not…" The door finally opened, and Jeremy walked in.

They screamed, startled.

Jeremy eyed them, completely confused. "What the hell?" He rolled his eyes and he brushed by them.

"I'm out of here." Caroline sounded so done and she left the house, running her fingers through her hair.

Megan quickly pulled out her phone and called Stefan, "Stefan!" she exclaimed when he answered.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Bonnie." Megan explained what happened before Stefan could even ask. "Emily's possessing her. And she said something, she said, she wouldn't let him have it. It must be destroyed."

"Where do you think she went?"

"I don't know…"

Charlene tried to think about it as Megan did the same. She was the first one to remember and she took the phone from her best friend.

"Fell's Church, by the old cemetery." Charlene told Stefan. "That's where she took Bonnie in her dreams. We have to help her, Stefan. Before something bad happens."

"Just stay there. Both you and Megan. I'm gonna go find her."

Charlene hung up the phone, handing it back to Megan as she shared a concerned look with her and Elena.

"We can't just stay here!" Megan said seriously.

"I know, and we're not." Charlene told her, grabbing her friend's shoulders with nod. She turned towards Elena. "Stay here and keep the door closed."

"No, I'm going too!" her sister protested.

Charlene wanted to argue with her but knew it would be no use. "Fine, let's go." Grabbing her coat, she put it on. "You guys take the car, I'll meet you guys there."

Before they said anything, Charlene used her vampire speed to race out of there, hoping she got to Fell's Church before something bad happened to Bonnie.

* * *

 _Emily_ stomped into the Fells Church ruins but stopped at the sound of a familiar voice.

"Hello Emily. You look different."

 _Emily_ looked up at Damon Salvatore, "I won't let you do it."

"We had a deal!" Damon exclaimed angrily. "

"Things are different now, I need to protect my family." _Emily_ said in a hard voice.

"I protected your family, you owe me."

 _Emily_ nodded, looking sympathetic but in her eyes, she was still willing to do what she needed to do. "I know. I'm sorry."

"You're about to be a lot more than that."

Damon charged at her with his vampire speed, but _Emily_ used her powers to throw him into a tree and he was impaled on a branch through his stomach, causing him to let out a pained filled cry.

* * *

Charlene arrived at the ruins around the same time as Stefan. Surprising, he didn't say anything when he spotted her, probably assuming that she wouldn't listen to him when he said to stay home.

Her eyes widened at the sight of Damon as she rushed over to help Stefan get him off the tree branch.

Damon grunted in pain once they freed him. Charlene helped him stay on his feet as she looked over to where Bonnie was. She was relieved to see her friend was alright…at least for the moment.

"It hurt…" he ground out. "This is why I feed on people…"

"Just be glad it didn't get you in the heart." Charlene pointed out. "Cause then you'd be dead." He didn't respond.

 _Emily_ looked up, spotting the two of them. "Stefan."

He didn't say anything for a moment. "Emily."

"These people don't deserve this. They should never have to know such evil."

"What do you mean evil?" Stefan asked as Charlene stared, confused.

"Emily, I swear to God, I'll make you regret this." Damon managed to say, glaring at her as he gripped Charlene tighter.

 _Emily_ stared at him, hard. "I won't let you unleash them into this world."

" _Them_? What part of the story did you leave out, Damon?" Stefan demanded, looking over at his brother.

"What does it matter?" Damon shoved Charlene gently away from him as he stood up on his own, arm wrapped around his stomach.

Stefan glanced at _Emily_ as Damon clearly wasn't going to tell him. "Emily, tell me what you did."

"To save Abigail, I had to save _them_."

"What is she talking about, Stefan?" Charlene asked as his eyes widened.

He ignored her question, staring at Emily in shock. "You saved everyone in the church?"

"With one, comes all."

"I don't care about them." Damon said desperately, limping forward. "I just want Abigail."

It stung Charlene a bit to hear those, even though it shouldn't.

Stefan grabbed a hold of his brother and Charlene took a step back. "I knew I shouldn't have believed a single word that comes out of your mouth!" he exclaimed angrily. "This isn't about love, is it? This is about revenge!"

"The two aren't mutually exclusive."

"Damon, you can't do this!"

"Why not?! They killed 27 people, and they called it a war battle! They deserve whatever they get!"

"27 _vampires_! They were _vampires_! You can't just bring them back!"

"Is anyone gonna tell me what the hell you guys are talking about?" Charlene demanded. But of course, neither of them responded to her.

Damon glared at him, shoving his brother away from him. "This town deserves this!"

"You're blaming innocent people for something that happened 145 years ago!"

"There's nothing innocent about these people, and don't think for a second, I won't happen again. They already know too much, and they'll burry your little _grandwitch_." He sneered at _Emily_. "Right next to us when they find out. Trust me."

 _Emily_ glared at him harshly. "Everything's different now."

"Please don't do this." Damon begged.

"I can't free them. I won't." She started chanting. "Incendia!"

The pentagram _Emily_ had carved into the ground was suddenly set ablaze. The nearby heat of it caused Charlene to cry out and she backed away as the fire created a wall between _Emily_ and the three vampires.

"No! Please!"

"Bonnie!" Sudden familiar voices shouted as Charlene whirled her head around to find Megan and Elena appearing on the scene. Megan tried to run towards her sister, but Stefan held her back while Charlene held Elena back.

"NO!" Damon roared.

 _Emily_ tossed the necklace into the fire, her eyes boring into Damon's. Once the spell was completed and the crystal was destroyed, _Emily_ departed from Bonnie's body and the fire died down. Bonnie's eyes opened before widening as she looked around in horror, having no idea what had just occurred.

Damon was furious, and he blurred over to Bonnie.

"NO!" Megan screamed as he bit into Bonnie's neck, feeding off of her. Her body shook with angry and she cried out again, quickly using her powers to give Damon a powerful brain aneurysm.

He released Bonnie and fell to the ground, gripping his head in pain. Once she was sure he was down, Megan stopped her assault and ran towards Bonnie's body.

Damon struggled to get to his feet. Charlene was over at his side in a blink and held him back, just in case he tried to attack Bonnie again.

"Stefan, she's not breathing!" Megan exclaimed in horror, tears streaming down her face.

He rushed over there, feeling her pulse. "She's alive, but barely. I can save her."

"Do it!" Megan urged.

He quickly nodded as he bit into his wrist and managed to get Bonnie's mouth open, so he could feed her his blood.

Elena hovered over the two of them, her eyes wide in shock as the Bonnie's wound closed up right before her eyes. "Her neck, it's healing."

Charlene was relieved as she shared a look with Megan. She let go of Damon and he zoomed away. Charlene stared at the spot where he once was, feeling bad for him. His one chance of getting Abigail was taken away from him, but she shouldn't feel too bad about it. If he couldn't get Abigail, then there was no way all those other vampires would get out of there.

* * *

Once everything calmed down, Megan brought Bonnie over to her to talk about what happened. Her sister was still in shock and it showed on her face.

"I don't understand, Megan." Bonnie's voice shook. "What happened to me? He attacked me, and his face like…"

"I know." Megan interrupted gently, taking her sister's hands. " _I know_. I'm going to explain everything, but are you okay? Do you feel alright?"

"I'm fine…" she whispered before touching her neck where Damon had bit her at. Megan would never forgive Damon for doing that. "It's just this blood…I don't…"

Bonnie's grip on her hands tightened and she looked behind her, seeing Stefan behind them. There was fear entangled with weariness in her sister's eyes when Megan looked back over at her.

Megan squeezed Bonnie's hands. "It's okay." She reassured as her sister met her gaze. "He's not going to hurt you."

"I won't." Stefan promised.

"What's going on, Megan?"

"I told you, I'm going to explain later." Megan told her. "Just go to the car with Elena and Charlene so we can get out of here." Bonnie didn't move, still staring at Stefan frightened. "Bonnie, look at me." And she did. "He's not going to hurt you. Trust me. Just go to the car."

Giving one last look at Stefan, Bonnie left, heading over to the car. Once she was inside, Megan turned to Stefan.

"She isn't in danger of becoming a vampire, is she?" she asked softly, even though she already knew the answer, but she needed to hear it from him.

"No, she has to die with my blood in her system." Stefan reassured her. "So, keep an eye on her tonight and make sure nothing happens, and once it leaves her system, she'll be fine."

Megan nodded, biting her bottom lip. "Good." She gave a sigh. "Like I told her, I'm going to tell her everything. She needs to know. Especially after what happened tonight."

"You sure?"

"I'm very sure. She's my sister and she deserves to know the truth. I can't lie to her anymore."

"You shouldn't have to." Stefan said softly.

"Which is why I'm not going to anymore." There was silence between them for a few solid minutes until Megan spoke up again. "You saved my sister's life, Stefan. I can't thank you enough for doing that. And I'm sorry…I thought that I couldn't be with you…because it wouldn't be safe for me to be with you…but I changed my mind. The safest place for me to be is _with_ you. I can do this, Stefan. I can." She reached up, touching his cheek as she met his gaze and smiled softly. "You don't have to push me away."

She thought he would happy to hear her words, but her heart fell when he pulled his hand off his cheek and stepped away from her, shaking his head.

"I can't." he told her. "I have to leave, Megan. Too many people have died. Too much has happened."

"Wait, no. Stefan, come on, I know your trying to protect me, but you…you don't have to." Megan protested. "I can take care of myself. You know I can."

He shook his head again. "I have to. Coming home…was a mistake. I can't be a part of your life anymore, or Charlene's. Her becoming a vampire was all because I came here…if I stay…there's no telling what other things could happen…"

Megan grabbed his hands again. "Stefan, _please_. You don't have go. This is your home too. You shouldn't have to leave just because of me. Please…just _stay_."

He smiled sadly at her, kissing her hands. "Goodbye, Megan." Without another word, he walked away from her.

Megan let him. She tried a couple times to get him to come back, but it was no use…he disappeared into the night. Megan closed her eyes tightly as she let her tears steam down her face while she stood there. She felt arms wrap around her and she knew it was Charlene. Megan turned around in her arms, hugging her back tightly as she buried her face into the blonde's shoulder.

* * *

Back at the Gilbert house, Charlene was getting ready for bed when she heard a knock on the door. She left her room to check things out. She stopped halfway down the stairs, seeing that Jenna had already open the door. Charlene peered behind her and was shocked to find someone who she thought was dead.

Logan. Freaking. Fell.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **The Turning Point, Part 1...**

 **Finally getting half-way through the season, and after this episode, it's my FAVORITE episode of the season. Bloodlines. But here's a question, would you like it to be Megan who goes to Georgia with Damon, or should it be Charlene like in the last story. I'd love to know what you guys think. Tell me in a review! Anyway, please leave reviews! :) Until next time on Surviving Vampires 101!**


	26. The Turning Point, Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the first part of the Turning Point! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

* * *

Charlene continued to stand there in the middle of the steps, staring hard at Logan. How the hell was he still alive?

"Why are you here Logan?" Jenna questioned, crossing her arms.

"I missed you…I was out of town. I…"

She cut him off, not at all patient. "Yeah, I got the email." She told him bitterly.

Logan's eyebrows furrowed, staring her shocked. "You got an email?"

"You didn't send an email?"

He didn't say anything for a moment before giving a smile. "I can explain. Just invite me in and I'll tell you everything."

"I'm not going to invite you in. Forget it." She tried to slam the door on, but Logan used his foot to keep it from closing on him.

"Come on, Jenna. It's me."

"I said no." She glared at him and Charlene decided to jump in.

"She told you to leave, Logan." She spat, pushing Jenna away to step in front of her aunt protectively. He glared at her as Jenna saw her chance to leave thankfully, leaving her alone with Logan. "Get the fuck out of here. And how the hell are you still alive? I killed you."

"I remember." Logan's glare deepened. "And what do you think happened?"

"I don't know, but I do know you need to stay the fuck away from Jenna. You don't deserve her and never will, so get the hell out."

With that, Charlene slammed the door in his face and she turned around, leaning back against the door. She had a feeling she should know why he was still alive, but it seemed like her brain was trying to block out the obvious reason.

Shaking her head, Charlene headed back upstairs to finish getting ready for bed. The next morning, she got out and got ready for school where she bumped into Jenna in the hallway.

"Are you doing okay?" Charlene asked her aunt, worriedly. "With Logan being back and everything?"

Jenna gave a weak smile. "I'll be fine…" she reassured with a nod. "I just can't believe he decided to show his face…"

"Yeah." Charlene didn't know why he came back, or why he was still alive and kicking, but Jenna needed to stay away from her. "Just stay away from him Jenna. If he comes near you again, he'll have me to deal with."

Jenna thought she was joking so she laughed, but Charlene was dead serious. He wasn't going to hurt Jenna, not on her watch.

"Thanks Charlie." Her aunt gave her a one arm hug, kissing her cheek. "I love you."

"I love too, Jen." Charlene smiled as she hugged her back before letting go and locking their arms together as they headed down the stairs together, Megan was downstairs, standing inside too with a smile on her face but Charlene could see the pain in her smile. Her best friend was still upset about Stefan.

"Morning!" Megan said brightly.

Charlene smiled back, fixing her bag over her shoulder. "Morning. You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Megan brushed her off.

Before she could say anything else, Elena came trudging down the stairs, looking happy. "Jeremy's got his sketchbook out." She said, smiling.

"You're kidding?" Jenna asked surprised.

"Nope." Elena grinned, grabbing her bag and putting it over her shoulder. "But don't say a word. The minute we encourage him, he'll put it away."

"Our lips are sealed." Megan said with a grin as she pretended to lock her mouth and throw away the key. She was doing a real good job of pretending she was alright with everything.

"Psychology major. Check that!"

Megan snickered as she pulled out her phone and looked down at it, the smile disappearing from her face. She sighed heavily.

"You and Stefan? Update?" Jenna asked. She knew because Megan had told her when she stayed the night after the whole thing happened with Stefan.

"Still haven't heard a thing from him." Megan said with another sigh as she snuffed her hands in her jacket pockets. "But whatever, he knows where I stand, and how I feel, but it apparently doesn't matter to him because he's still leaving."

"Where he is going?"

"I don't know but I guess it doesn't really matter where he's going. It's not where I'm going to be at." Megan opened the door and all three of them went outside.

Jenna shook her head. "Yours leave, mine returns."

Elena looked over at her, startled. "Logan?"

"He's back." Elena groaned. "I didn't let him pass the front door."

"I hope you slammed it in his face."

"Don't worry, I took care of that." Charlene said, scowling as Elena and Megan looked over at her. "He's not going anywhere near her."

Jenna patted her on the shoulder.

"Three strike rule, Jenna." Elena told her seriously. "You're not even allowed to watch the news."

"Exactly. No more Logan 'Scum' Fell." Jenna smiled as Charlene, Elena, and Megan laughed and they walked down the sidewalk.

* * *

Damon stood in front of a window in the living room, looking out of it. Stefan entered the living room and spoke up.

"So, any ideas on where you'll be going?" He asked.

Damon continued to look out the window. "I don't know. London maybe. See some friends."

Stefan crossed his arms. "You don't have friends, Damon."

"You're right Stefan, I only have you." Damon stated. He turned to his brother with a grin. "So where are WE going?"

Stefan rolled his eyes. "WE are not going anywhere." He said as his brother walked over to him. "I'm gonna live my life as far away from you as possible."

Damon pouted. "Aw, come on Stefan. We're a team. We can try out for the Amazing Race."

"Mmmm, that's funny," Stefan said dryly. "Seriously, where are you going because we are not staying in this town?"

Before Damon could reply, the doorbell rang. Stefan looked at his brother before heading over to the front door. He was surprised to find out when he opened the door that it was Sheriff Liz Forbes. Stefan was confused. What was she doing here?

"I'm here to see Damon," Liz explained obviously seeing the confused look on his face.

"Ah, sure…okay," Stefan said still confused as Damon appeared beside him.

"Sheriff, what a surprise!" Damon exclaimed with a smile. And it really was a surprise. He didn't expect her to be here.

"Sorry to bother you, but we need to talk."

Now it was Damon's turn to be confused. What did she want to talk about? Not letting the confusion show on his face, he smiled at her charmingly.

"Come in," Damon said as all three went back inside.

Stefan stayed inside the house while Damon and Liz went to the back.

"I hope you don't mind the secrecy," he said as they walked outside. "Stefan doesn't know about this yet and I'd like to keep it that way."

Liz nodded, "Of course. Kids are too young to be brought into this."

"So…. what do you need?" Damon questioned with a smile as they stood in front of each other.

"There's been another attack," Liz answered with a sigh. The smile slipped off Damon's face at that as she went on, **"** A female victim, throat tore out, completely drained of blood. It's the same pattern."

"I'm sorry I don't understand," Damon said. "I thought we solved that problem when …" He said the next thing in a whisper, so Stefan wouldn't hear unaware that Stefan had been listening ever since he took Liz outside, "I staked the blonde one."

"I think that she must have turned someone, or multiple someone's." Liz guessed. "I don't know. The story for the town is another animal attack but I'm not sure how long we can keep lying to them. The council is in an uproar." She sighed, "We thought we were passed this."

"So, what do we do?"

"You're the only one who has ever taken on a vampire. We were hoping you could tell us."

* * *

Megan walked in the hallway, along with Elena and Bonnie. Charlene had been with them, but she left to use the restroom. At least that's what the blonde said she was doing. She wasn't sure if she believed her best friend or not. Whatever she was doing, Megan figured it was something important. If it was, she didn't know why Charlene wasn't telling her what it was.

From the corner of her eye, Megan spotted Caroline and Matt happily chatting with one another in the hallway. She cocked an eyebrow at the sight.

"Well, that's new." Megan stated, causing Elena to look.

The brunette frowned. "Did I miss something?"

Bonnie shrugged. "They've been hanging out." She answered simply as Caroline and Matt walked into a classroom.

"Wow, never thought that would happen in a million years." Megan laughed, shaking her head. She looked towards Elena. "How do you feel about it? Weren't you guys talking again?"

"Yeah…but we decided it was better to just stay friends." Elena said, after a moment of thinking. "You know, after the whole Vicki thing."

Megan nodded in understanding.

"Well, she needs someone like him, as opposed to a homicidal vampire like Damon." Bonnie said darkly.

Megan's face took on a look of concern as she locked arms with Bonnie. "How are you doing with that?"

"I'm freaked out. Damon attacked me. I could be dead right now. But I'm also grateful."

"Really?" Megan didn't expect that.

"To Stefan and to you." Bonnie stopped and turned around to grab Megan's hands. "If it wasn't for you two, I wouldn't be here." Megan smiled weakly in response. "Have you seen him?"

Megan let go of Bonnie's hands and started walking down the hall again with Elena and Bonnie on either side of her. She removed the scarf around her neck as she headed over to her locker, which was nearby. Megan placed her scarf and her bag inside of it before looking towards Bonnie and Elena, leaning against her locker.

"No, I haven't." she said, finally answering to Bonnie's question. "Not since he told me he was leaving. He's probably long gone by now."

"He wouldn't leave without saying goodbye."

Megan gave a nod of her head. "You don't know him as well as I do. He would leave without saying goodbye. He already said his goodbyes already…" She closed her locker and went down the hallway again.

"What are you going to do?" Elena asked.

"There's nothing much I can do. I already tried begging him to stay, but it was no use. I can't ask him again. If he wants to leave, then…I'll have to let him go…" Megan's eyes welled with tears as Elena smiled sadly, grabbing her hand and squeezing it.

"Maybe it's for the best?"

At her sister's words, Megan stopped and turned to her, not expecting that.

"Bonnie…" Elena started.

Megan interrupted before the brunette could say anything more. "What are you talking about? How is it for the best?"

"I mean, what kind of future could you have had with him, even if he stayed?"

"I don't know, but I would have liked to find it out." Megan said quietly.

Suddenly, a banner fell down on them. The words, 'The Promise of your Future' written on the front of it. It was for the job fair that was going tonight at school.

Megan blinked. "Did you…?"

Bonnie held up her hands. "No, I swear."

In response, Megan sighed heavily and shoved the banner over her head, so she could walk away. That was something she didn't need right now.

Damon opened the door for Liz, "Thank you for stopping by."

"Let me know what you come up with."

"Absolutely."

Damon closed the door and Stefan slammed him into the now closed door with his hands clenched in his black shirt.

"What is wrong with you? You killed somebody?" He growled.

"Get off of me!" Damon exclaimed, pushing his brother away. He held up a finger, "A: Don't touch me." He walked away a little while away but turned back around to face his brother, "B: If I had I would not be obvious about it." He stepped closer to Stefan. "There is another vampire in town."

Stefan shook his head in disbelief. "That's impossible."

"Obviously not." Damon said, rolling his eyes.

"Who could it be?"

Damon shrugged as he turned around and walked forward a couple steps. "Ah what do we care? We're leaving anyway, right?" He smirked, knowing that Stefan had to stay here if he wanted to protect Megan, Elena, and Charlene.

"No, I can't leave now," Stefan said. "And you know that. How are we supposed to find this person?"

"Let the adults handle this Stefan," Damon told him, glancing at him before leaving him standing there.

* * *

Megan walked outside along with another girl, who was on the cheerleading team with her. She was happily chatting with her until she noticed Stefan sitting down on one of the tables outside. Megan froze in her spot at the sight of him. She thought he was already gone.

"Um, I'll see you later." Megan didn't say anything else to the girl as she went over towards Stefan. "What are you doing here? I thought you left."

He stood up. "We need to talk."

The way he said it made Megan extremely worry. "What is it?" He brought her over to the table he had been sitting and they sat there together as he explained everything to her. Once he finished, she spoke up, worry etched on her face. "So, you have no idea who it could be?"

"None. But it must be somebody new because leaving a body like that, they're either sloppy or they're trying to send a message."

"Have you asked Damon? You sure he didn't do it?" Megan frowned. That would her first guess, but it was also because she was still pissed off at him for hurting Bonnie.

"Well, I'm never sure about Damon, but he's been trying to keep a low profile lately, so it's just doesn't make any sense to me."

"So, what happens now?" Megan asked worriedly as she got off the table to stand in front of Stefan.

"Damon is tracking them right now." He stood up and faced her. "Look, I promised the truth, so I wanted to tell you. I want you to be careful. You and Charlene. Where is she anyway?" He looked around.

"I don't know. She's around here somewhere." Megan gave a weak smile. "I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you would have left already. Are you here to say goodbye?"

He said nothing for a moment. "Not yet."

Megan nodded, looking away. "See you." She said in a whisper, knowing that he heard.

She ignored the sigh that Stefan gave, probably because he heard the sadness in my voice. Good…she was glad that he heard how much she was about this. Megan turned on her heel and walked away but stopped at the sound of Stefan's voice.

"Be careful."

Without looking at him, Megan gave a quick nod and walked away, this time without stopping or looking back.

Jeremy was sitting on the couch, stretched out. He had just finished his drawing when Jenna came into the living room.

"Hey," he greeted. He held up the sketch pad to Jenna, "What do you think?"

Jenna looked at it, giving a grin. She was happy to see him drawing again after so long. "Creepy."

"I found this old journal in dad's stuff, Jonathan Gilbert from the 1800s," Jeremy said. "He's kind of a freak show. He wrote about demons and all of these people getting slaughter and…"

Jenna sat on the arm of the couch, "Yeah he was a writer…short stories, horror stuff."

"Oh, he wrote fiction," Jeremy looked down at his drawing as Jenna headed over to the book shelf. "Figured he was a lunatic or a drunk."

Jenna picked out a book that Jonathan Gilbert wrote, and she walked back over to Jeremy "Well he was a Gilbert." She gave the book to her nephew, "Probably a little bit of both."

Jeremy grinned at his aunt as she left the living room.

* * *

Caroline Forbes stood in front of the warehouse with a compass in her hand and her cellphone on her ear. Damon was on the other end of the phone. She frowned at the compass in her free hand.

"So, what do I do now?" she asked him.

"Just wait. I'll be there in a minute."

Caroline tapped her foot impatiently. "Can you hurry? I have things to do." Suddenly, he appeared behind her and she jumped, whirling around to face him, startled by his sudden appearance.

"You can give me that."

She rolled her eyes and held out the compass as Damon took it from her, examining it. "So, why did you need me to do this?"

"Because I interfere with the signal."

Caroline changed the subject, crossing her arms. "Can I go now? This has blown, like, half my day.?"

"You do that." Damon stared into the blonde's eyes, causing her eyes to glaze over as he compelled her. "Get in your car. Go home. Forget I asked you to do this."

Caroline suddenly shook her head, smiling. "Okay. Bye now." She smirked charmingly as she gave a tiny wave.

"Bye."

She brushed by him and left. Damon rolled his eyes. Tell him again why he used Barbie in the first place. Oh well, didn't matter now.

Damon slipped the compass in his pocket and turned to face the entrance of the warehouse. He walked up the steps, opening the door. He entered the warehouse and stepped further inside as he looked around.

"Damon!"

He turned his head in direction of the voice and his eyes widened at the sight of Charlene on the ground, arms wrapped around her bloody body. Before he could get her name out, Logan Fell appeared out of nowhere and shot him multiple times.

"Damon, no!" Charlene cried out, trying to save him. But she got shot in the process. She screamed as she fell back to the ground while Damon fell to his knees, groaning in pain.

Logan approached him. "I have a ton of these wooden bullets, so nothing funky. And I won't hesitate to shoot your little girlfriend either if she tries to stop me."

Damon glared at him heatedly. "You don't want to do that. Trust me."

Charlene looked at him, surprised.

In response, Logan shot him in the shoulder and Damon screamed in pain.

"Logan! Stop it!" Charlene yelled out. He turned the gun on her, but she went on before he could shoot her. "Just let him go! I was the one who killed you, not him!"

"Then he must have turned me." Logan turned back towards Damon and crouched in front of him.

"I didn't turn you." Damon pried a bullet from his chest, grunting in pain as he did so.

Logan held up a wooden bullet, causing Charlene to flinch at the sight of it. "See I know what you, your brother, and Charlene are. I've been watching the two of you. I knew you'd show up here, and I'm glad you did. As for why Charlene's here, she interrupted me getting into my ex-girlfriend's good graces."

"Only because you don't deserve to be in her good graces." Charlene spat.

Logan ignored her. "So, I have questions."

Damon pried another bullet out. "Me first. Who turned you?"

He crouched down further, his face close to Damon's. "How should I know? Last thing I remember is, I'm about to stake your brother and then Charlene grabbed me. That's it! Until I wake up in the ground behind a used car dealership on highway 4. Somebody buried me."

"It happens." Damon pried a bullet out of his leg. "Ow."

Charlene tried to get her own out, but it hurt too much to even do it and she was scared to even move, frightened that Logan would shoot her again.

Seeing how scared she was, he gestured her over, so she did. Luckily Logan didn't make a move to shoot her as Damon helped get some of the bullets out of Charlene, who winced every time he got one out.

"You have to have vampire blood in your system when you die." Damon explained. "I didn't do that. Some other vampire found you, gave you their blood." He groaned and fell back to the floor with Charlene staring at him worriedly. He squeezed her hand, surprising her that he was trying to comfort her.

"Who?"

"That's what I want to know."

"Dude, it's not like the welcome wagon was waiting with a bundt cake. It's been a learn as you go process. You know, one minute, I'm a small town on the rise news guy and next thing, I know, I can't get into my house, because my foot won't go through the door."

Damon managed to sit up with Charlene's help, prying out yet another bullet. "You have to be invited in."

"I know. I live alone."

"Ah." Damon chuckled softly. "That sucks."

Logan glared at him. "So, now I'm at the Ramada, watching pay per view, eating everything in sight, including housekeeping."

"It could be worse." Damon offered, and Charlene gave him a look.

"How could it be worse?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Well, it could."

"All I can think about is blood and killing people. I can't stop killing people. I keep killing." He laughed maniacally. "And I like it. I'm conflicted."

"Welcome to the club." Logan stood up. "Wait a minute. Cops only found one body."

"I left one. I was tired. But I've been hiding the rest of the bodies. They're right back there." Logan pointed to the bodies with his gun.

Charlene's eyes widened at the sight.

"You're kidding."

"They're just pilling up!"

* * *

At the career fair at the school, Tyler stood in front of the drawing booth, looking through his binder of pictures when Jeremy Gilbert came up to him.

Tyler rolled his eyes and looked over at the Gilbert."What do you want?"

"Hey, I'm just surprised to see you," Jeremy said walking over to him. He looked down at the drawings that Tyler was looking at before. "Art usually implies culture." He looked over at Tyler. "And culture implies, well, not you." He joked.

Tyler glared at him angrily. "Go to hell."

Jeremy watched him walk away, amused. He looked down at the drawing that Tyler had left open and saw the name 'Tyler Lockwood' written on the bottom of the drawing. Jeremy looked in the direction that Tyler had left in, an awed expression on his face.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **The Turning Point, Part 1...**

 **Another chapter down and two chapters posted so close together! Hopefully they keep coming lol. Anyway, please leave reviews!**


	27. The Turning Point, Part 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the second part of the Turning Point! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

Oh, and changing the rating to M now, just because of a scene close to end of the chapter, and the rest of the story will stay that way just to be safe. Just warning you now! Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

P.S. This is officially the longest chapter of this story!

* * *

Megan slowly explored the job fair, not really paying attention to the booths. She didn't even want to be here as she had no idea what she wanted to do in the future. Even before she met Stefan, but now, she didn't know more than she already did. Megan looked around also for Charlene. She had no idea where her best friend was. She hadn't seen her since this morning, so she hoped that she was okay and not hurt. Maybe she was with Damon or something.

Megan walked for a little bit until she spotted Matt, looking at one of the booths. Elena was heading up to Matt just as she was.

"Hey guys. Having fun yet?" Megan asked them with a small grin, standing beside her best friend's sister.

Elena smiled. "You know it." She joked before turning towards Matt. "Still wanna be an astronaut?" She gestured over to the booth he was looking at.

Matt shook his head, smiling to himself. "I can't believe you remember that."

"I can remember that tinfoil that you wore on your head." Elena teased, ruffling his hair.

"I was eight." Matt said in exasperation, but he was grinning.

"I remember that too. I thought you looked adorable." Megan told him, her grin widening. She changed the subject. "How are you doing, Matt? You doing alright?" She hadn't talked to Matt since the whole thing with Vicki happened.

"I've had it easier. You? I heard some things." Megan knew he meant Stefan. "So, it's true that you and Stefan…"

Megan sighed and said nothing for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yeah, it's true. But I'm doing…okay. I mean, as well as I can be." She left it at that, not wanting to talk about it anymore.

Matt didn't press, not that he had time to as Elena went onto another subject.

"What about you, Matt Donavan?" she teased, nudging him in the side with a grin. "I heard about Caroline."

He groaned a bit. "Aw, man, not you too."

"Hey." Elena touched his arm.

Matt looked down at her and sighed. "We're just friends." Elena gave him a skeptical look. "It's not a big deal."

"Better not let Caroline hear that." Megan joked, crossing her arms as she glanced around to make sure the talkative blonde wasn't near them.

They didn't seem to hear her as Elena met his gaze.

"No?" she questioned.

"No." They stared at each other intensely.

Megan stood there, awkwardly. Deciding to give them a moment, she turned to leave but stopped in her tracks, seeing Stefan standing in the doorway.

* * *

Charlene winced at the pain in her body as she tried to move it. The wooden bullets in her body were a pain in the ass. Damon had got most of them out, but she was still hurting, and she was dirty. All she wanted was to get out of this warehouse and take a long, hot shower. Charlene didn't think that was going to happen anytime soon, not with Logan being as annoying as he was being at the moment.

Logan was still on crouched down in front of them, the gun being held loosely in his hand. "Why am I so overly emotional?" he asked. "All I can think about is my ex-girlfriend." Charlene's eyes narrowed at him, knowing he was talking about Jenna. "I wanna be with her and bite her and stuff."

Well, that wasn't going to happen in a million years. Not if Charlene had anything to say about it.

"Well, you probably love her." Damon said dryly. He didn't like being in this predicament any more than Charlene did. "Anything you felt before will be magnified now. You're going to have to learn how to control that."

So far, he wasn't doing that well at all.

"What about walking in the sun?" Logan questioned. "I'm a morning person. You and Charlene can walk in the sun which, by the way, is pretty cool."

Damon's hand, the one with his daylight ring, flexed in response to Logan's question about it and he released Charlene's hand to cover his other hand. The last thing they needed was Logan to find out how exactly they could walk in the sun.

"The council will never suspect you. That's not in the journals."

"The journals?" Damon inquired, confused.

"Yeah, the founding fathers, they passed down journals to their kids. Come on man, you gotta tell me. How can you walk around in the sun?"

"Who turned you?"

"How do you walk in the sun?"

"Who turned you?"

Charlene rolled her eyes. "Would you just answer the damn question?" she snapped, getting aggravated with the whole thing.

Logan glared at her. "You know, I've been really nice so far, but I will kill you and him." He stood up and pointed the gun at Charlene, who flinched and cowered back immediately.

"Then you'll never know." Damon slowly stood up to his feet. "You're not answering my question."

"You first!"

"It seems we're at a bit of an impasse then, doesn't it?" Damon told him dryly.

Logan chuckled darkly. "I have things to do, people to kill. Guess I'll be needing a head start." He shot Damon a couple of times, causing the vampire to groan and fell back to the ground.

Charlene winced and did think Logan was going to do the same thing to her, but he never did. He simply just left the warehouse. Sighing in relief, Charlene forced herself to move over towards Damon.

"Are you okay?" she touched his shoulder.

"What do you think?" Damon snapped, jerking away from her touch.

She winced in response. "Sorry, stupid question…" she mumbled, looking away.

He sighed heavily at her reaction. "No, I'm sorry."

Charlene looked up at him, surprised. "Did you just actually apologize?" she asked in disbelief.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Don't get used to it."

* * *

Megan stood against the wall, just staring at Stefan. Why was he still there? She thought he would leave after informing her about the new threat in Mystic Falls, but then she realized, that's exactly why he was still here.

"You're watching out for me?" Megan said finally, making it sound like a question, instead of a statement.

"Yeah…is that alright?"

No, it wasn't. Normally it would be just fine, but she didn't need him watching out for her. She could take care of herself.

"I appreciate it, Stefan, but I'll be fine." Megan told him. "You know that I can take care of myself. You saw how I was when the whole thing with Bonnie happened."

"I know…" Stefan sighed. "But…it…just make me feel better to see that you're okay."

She crossed her arms. "Well, I'm fine, so you can go now."

She hated being harsh with him, but he deserved after the way he's been treating her. Without saying another work, Megan headed over to one of the booths, but he didn't leave as she could hear his footsteps behind her. She frowned in annoyance. However, she didn't say anything while Stefan spoke as he stood right next to her.

"You know, I wanted to be a doctor before everything happened…" he said, and her ears perked up at that, but she didn't look up at him, instead focusing on the pamphlets on the booth. "But, uh, then I couldn't, 'cause…"

"Of the blood?" Megan finished, already knowing what he was going to say. Because you couldn't be a vampire and a doctor. She knew he nodded even though she couldn't see it.

"Yeah. I've dabbled in a bunch of different things, though."

"Did you not love anything enough to stick with it?" Megan asked, unable to stop the curiousness in her voice as she moved to another booth with Stefan right behind her.

"No, I…I loved it all. I just…I had to move before anybody could notice I wasn't getting any older."

"When would that happen?"

"Few years, usually. Sometimes shorter."

Megan finally looked up at him. "So, you always left? You never wanted to stay?"

"I did…but I couldn't…I didn't have a choice."

She looked away, staring down at her feet. So even if he didn't leave today, he would have to leave eventually… Stefan spoke again, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

"So, what about…what about you? What are your, uh, plans for the future?"

Megan looked at him again, frustration in her eyes. "Are you really asking me that? How can I think about my future when you clearly don't want to be apart of it?" He went to touch her hand, but she jerked away, causing him to sigh heavily.

"Megan, it's not that I don't wanna be in it."

"Well, clearly you do. No use in lying about it, Stefan, okay? But I get it, you can't be apart of it. I'm human and you're a vampire and eventually that's going to matter as I get older and older and you stay the same. But the moment you told me your secret, I was apart of your life and that's not going to change. No matter how many times you push me away because I love you. When it's real, you can't walk away." Megan finished her speech, ending it with the sentence Lexi had used and Stefan's face softened. "But here you are, going to walk away after this vampire thing ends. So, if you're going to leave, then leave. Don't just stay and make me feel that your going to change your mind." Megan was about to walk away from him but before she could, Jenna along with Elena came rushing up to the two of them.

"Hide me." Jenna announced.

Megan's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What? What's wrong?"

"It's Logan." Elena was the one to explain with a frown. "He keeps following Jenna."

"Seriously?" Megan rolled her eyes.

Stefan looked surprised as he didn't know the news reporter had returned. "Wait, Logan Fell?"

Jenna nodded, and Stefan quickly went out into the hallway. Megan was quick to follow him, seeing Logan standing in the middle of the room. She couldn't help but glare at the sight of him.

"Stefan, what's going on?" Megan asked, going to stand next to him as Logan approached the two of them. Immediately, she stiffened, feeling something very dark about him. It was something that hasn't been there before.

Jenna and Elena walked in close behind. Logan smirked at Jenna.

"Jenna…are you dodging me?" he asked, almost mockingly.

She pursed her lips as she crossed her arms. "It's a form of self-preservation."

"Um, Megan, why don't you, Jenna, and Elena go somewhere else?" Stefan gave her a pointed look.

Megan stared at him for a moment before nodding in understanding. "Come on, let's go." She told the other two women, grabbing both of their hands and leading them both away.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Stefan demanded.

"You know your brother asked me the same thing," Logan said with a smirk. "In fact, why don't we skip past all the who turned me stuff to get to the answer that I want? How can I turn into a day walker?"

Stefan simply stared at him. "Damon and I are the only two that I know of."

"But you're both cagy on the how which tells me there is a way. You know in case you hadn't noticed, I'm quite the celebrity in this town. It would be very, very easy for me to expose you."

Stefan's eyes narrowed at the threat. "You wanna know how you can walk in the sun?" he said as a question, his tone of voice was deathly.

"I do," Logan said intensely.

"You can't. Don't ever threaten me again." Stefan said darkly. Not letting him get in another word, he brushed past Logan. This was bad. Very bad.

* * *

Once she was sure that they were at a safe distance, Megan quickly turned around to face Jenna and Elena.

"Jenna, this is very important, what exactly did Logan say to you last night?" she demanded urgently.

"Fake flattery. Stupid, dimpled grin. Puppy dog eyes."

"Jenna, I'm being serious. What did he say?" Megan begged, sounding desperate, which the adult noticed.

She nodded. "He was the usual Logan, charming, a little more manic than usual. He kept trying to convince me to come in." Megan looked at her, eyes wide as she realized what was going on and Jenna frowned in concern. "What?"

"Jenna, you need to stay away from him, okay?" Megan told her seriously, grasping her shoulders. "Don't let him get near you, EVER." She slowly nodded even though she had no idea what was going on. "You stay with Elena. I'll be back." She went to leave but Elena stopped her before she could get far, grabbing onto her arm.

"What's going on?" she asked, concerned.

Megan stared at her, debating if she should tell Elena, but in the end, she decided she should. "Logan's a vampire, that's why he's still alive." She whispered to Elena. The brunette's eyes widened. "Okay. I'm going to get more information from Stefan. You stay with Jenna, make sure she stays away from Logan." Before she could say anything else, Megan pulled her arm away from Elena and hurried off to find Stefan.

She couldn't find him inside of the school, so she went outside to see if he was out there. He was, and he was on the phone. Stefan did see her, but he didn't acknowledge her. Megan stayed silent, listening to the conversation as she crossed her arms while she waited.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Stefan asked, concerned.

"No, I'm not okay." Damon was pretty loud over the phone, so Megan could tell that it was him on the other end of the phone. "I was ambushed. I was shot. Now, I'm vengeful. Just got to find him."

"Well, there's no need. He's here at the school."

"You're kidding me. Why the hell is he there?"

"He's working the crowd."

"Well, I'll be right there."

Megan approached Stefan as he hung up the phone, slipping it into his pocket. He turned around to face her and she crossed her arms again.

"Care to explain to me what's going on?"

* * *

Caroline stood outside of the school, waiting for Bonnie to come pick her up but the Bennett was nowhere in sight. She groaned in frustration as she picked up her phone and dialed her best friend's phone number. Caroline put the phone to her ear, but it went straight to voicemail. So, she left a message.

"Bonnie, where are you?" Caroline asked with a groan. "I'm ready to go. I'll be outside." With that, she hung up the phone just as Logan Fell came riding up in his SUV.

"Hey, damsel in distress, need a ride?" He smirked.

"Oh my God, Logan Fell, channel 9, is that you?" Caroline said sarcastically with a fake gasp at the end.

His smirk widened. "I used to baby sit you, Caroline Forbes. Don't mock me."

"Well, I was supposed to go home with Bonnie, but I can't find her."

"It's not a problem, really. It's on my way."

Caroline smiled. "Okay." Before she got into the car though, someone grabbed onto her arm causing her to gasp but she relaxed when she saw it was Charlene. "You scared the shit out of me, Char."

"Sorry." Charlene glared at Logan, who glared right back at her. "I couldn't help but overhear, I'll give you a ride home."

"Well, Logan…" The other blonde cut her off before she could finish.

"Doesn't mind if I take you." Charlene said, her glare hardening at Logan. "Right?"

"Actually, I do mind. Get in the car, Caroline."

The tone of his voice made Caroline step back. "No, Charlene can take me. I don't mind. I'll get home either way."

Logan scoffed. "I really didn't want to have to do this." He got out of the car, pulling out a gun.

Caroline's eyes went wide. "What are you doing?!"

Charlene pushed her behind her. "Don't you dare, Logan." She growled, her eyes starting to change.

Not even saying anything, Logan pulled the trigger and shot Charlene in the shoulder. The blonde cried out, tumbling to the ground as she gripped onto her shoulder.

"Charlene!" Caroline exclaimed. Before she could go to her friend's side, she was slammed in the head with something and she fell unconscious.

Logan pulled Caroline into the car, practically shoving her inside. He went over to Charlene's body and grabbed her hair, pulling on it roughly. Charlene cried out again.

"Let go of me!" she growled.

"Not going to happen." Logan hissed as he tugged her hair again. The blonde whimpered. "You killed me. And I think it's time for me to return the favor." He used the gun again, but this time, he slammed her over the head with it, leaving her unconscious just like Caroline.

* * *

Stefan appeared at the spot where Charlene and Caroline were last seen. He looked around for a moment before noticing something on the ground and he went over to pick it up. It was Charlene's daylight ring. Stefan's eyes widened at the sight of it. This wasn't good. He quickly grabbed his phone and dialed Damon's number. His brother immediately picked up. Over at the boarding house, Damon was in the living room, putting on his jacket.

"I'm going to be there soon." He snapped, a little annoyed.

"Logan's got Charlene and she doesn't have her daylight ring."

Damon was silent over the phone for a moment. "Okay. Again, I'll be there soon." He acted like he didn't care, but Stefan could hear the worry in his voice. His brother ended the phone call.

Stefan sighed and was about to hurry to find them before something bad happened, but a voice stopped him. Megan's voice. He groaned at the sound of it.

"I thought I told you to stay inside." Stefan said, turning to face her.

"Well, I decided not to listen for once. I want to help, Stefan, and you know I can." Megan's voice left no room for argument.

He didn't want to, but Megan was stubborn, so there was no use changing her mind. "Fine. But the second it gets dangerous, you're out of there, understand?"

"I understand. Now, let's go save Charlene and Caroline."

* * *

Charlene finally regained consciousness and she groaned at the pain in her head. She felt the wound on the back of her head. It was already starting to heal but it was still there. She could feel the dried blood. Charlene moved her hand down and noticed her daylight ring was gone. She panicked immediately. Where was it?! God, this wasn't good at all! Then, Charlene noticed Caroline in the back seat with her and she remembered what happened.

Logan.

Charlene's eyes went to the front of the car, and sure enough, there he was, and he was on the phone with someone. She focused, and she could hear who it was. Sheriff Forbes was on the other end of the phone.

"Where are you?"

Charlene didn't have to be looking to know Logan was smirking. "Your daughter has expressed an interest in journalism. I think it's important to foster young minds."

"What do you want?"

"The satisfaction of turning your daughter into a vampire." The car stopped.

Charlene would have tried to shove him out of the car before he could even think about turning Caroline, but she was too weak to do anything. Luckily, someone else took over for her.

Stefan pulled Logan out of the car and was thrown onto the road. Her door opened, revealing Megan on the other side.

"Megan!" Charlene cried out in relief. Her best friend managed to pull her out of the car, holding onto her tightly as Megan made sure she stayed upright.

Damon was there too. Logan was about to charge at him, but he shot Logan multiple times. The news reporter cried out as he crumbled to the ground.

"Payback's a bitch, isn't it?" Damon mocked with a smirk. "Get them out of here." He told Stefan.

"But Damon…" Charlene protested.

"No." He cut her off. "Get out of here with Stefan and Megan. You're hurt. You're not going to be any use to me. So, GO."

Charlene wanted to protest again but Megan tugged her away before she could. Stefan pulled Caroline out of the car and they quickly left, leaving Damon alone with Logan alone.

* * *

Damon picked up the phone from the ground, Liz Forbes' voice echoing through the speaker.

"Logan, what happened? Logan?"

He put the phone to his ear. "Sheriff, it's Damon."

"Where's Caroline?"

"She's okay." Damon reassured. "I'm on Elm Street." He shut off the phone and went to the back of the car as Logan withered on the ground. He pulled out a tire iron before walking over to the newbie vampire. "We're going to try this one more time." He said as he pretended to hit a baseball with the tire iron but stopped after a moment, so he could ask the question he was dying to know ever since he found out about Logan. "Who turned you?"

"I told you! I don't know!" he exclaimed.

Damon smirked as he ran his hands against the tire iron. "You know this tire iron could take your head clean off." He got poised to hit Logan. "Is that your final answer?"

"How can you side with them?" Logan asked angrily.

In response, he scowled at him. "I don't side with anyone. You pissed me off! And you made the mistake of hurting Charlene along with me." He said nothing for a moment before asking again. "Who turned you?"

"Oh, well your screwed." Just as Damon was about to hit him for real this time, Logan yelled out, "Wait! I do know!"

"You're lying."

"I'm not lying!" Logan exclaimed. "You think you're the only one who wants to get in that tomb? Under the old church?"

Damon's eyes narrowed at him. "If you're lying to me, I will end you." He growled threateningly.

"I'm not lying." Logan insisted as the police sirens sounded. "There is another way to break the spell. We can help you. Meet me at the old church."

The police sirens sounded even closer now.

"Take me down." Damon said quickly. "Make it look real." He got poised to fight but Logan pushed him hard against the car causing him to groan in fake pain. Logan disappeared just as Liz Forbes appeared.

"Where is she?" Liz demanded worriedly to Damon, who was on the ground.

"She's okay," Damon said and Liz breathed out a sigh of relief. "My brother is taking her home." He stood up holding onto his injured arm and he tried to sound apologetic as he said, "I'm sorry Sheriff. I just wasn't strong enough."

* * *

After Stefan dropped off Caroline and Charlene back at their houses, he took Megan back to the job fair. She turned to face him as he dropped her off at her car. She opened her mouth to speak but Stefan cut her off.

"You saw what happened tonight, right?" He questioned, his voice soft. Megan flashed him a gentle look as she touched his shoulder to sooth him and he didn't make a move to remove it, at least not at first. He stepped back from her, causing her hand to drop at her side, and he crossed his arms. "I mean, you understand why we can't be together?"

"I've always understood, but I don't care. I want to be with you despite all of that, but you don't. You just want to walk away." He didn't say anything, and she sighed heavily. "Come on, I'll give you a ride home."

He shook his head. "Uh, I can get home."

"I know you can, but I want to give you a ride home. I'm taking no for an answer." Megan told him.

Stefan stared at her for a moment before slowly nodding with a soft smile. "Alright. That'd be nice."

She smiled back as she got into the front seat of her car. Once Stefan got in the passenger seat, she drove off to the boarding house. It wasn't too long of a drive with Megan's driving. She pulled up to the driveway and shut off the car, but they didn't get out of it. Megan sat in the silence, but she didn't say quiet for long as she broke the silence.

"About earlier…the thing I said about you leaving was harsh… I was just angry." She informed him softly.

"No, no. You had every right to be." Stefan reassured her, glancing over at her.

"So…you asked me what I wanted my future to be…" she started off. "I didn't give you an answer because I don't know what I want it to be. I do know that I want you to be apart of it. And I know you think you put all of these bad things in my life, but you didn't. Bad stuff would happen even if you never showed up here, Stefan. That's life. Sometimes you just gotta take it as is and live life to the fullest and damn everything else." She looked up at him to find him staring down at her.

He didn't say anything, and she waited for him to speak. Finally, he did.

"I know that it's…that it's hard to understand, but I'm doing this for you."

Stefan got out of the car and Megan was quick to follow. She wasn't going to let him get away this time. He was already up the driveway, walking towards the house.

"No!" Megan snapped harshly. He stopped. "I'm not letting you walk away, Stefan Salvatore. You don't get to do that again. You don't get to choose how I live my life and if I want you in it, I'll be damned if I ever let you go! The reason why you want to walk away, it has nothing to do with me but everything to do to you, because I know what I want. Stefan, I love you. I love you so much that it hurts. And if you love me like you say you do, then don't walk away. Please." Megan's eyes welled with tears. "Don't leave me."

He didn't turn around and she stared at his back, her eyes begging him not to walk away. But he didn't as he finally turned around with tears in her own eyes. Before she could say anything else, Stefan quickly walked over to her and grabbed her face, pulling her into a passionate kiss.

Megan kissed back, tears dripping down her cheeks, happy he didn't walk away. She deepened the kiss as they headed towards the boarding house doors, still kissing each other. He pushed her against the wall of the house for a moment as his fingers ran through her silky black hair. Megan moaned, tugging his face closer. He didn't keep her pressed against the wall for long and he pulled her back, so they could finally go through the doors.

Inside, Megan pulled of the scarf she had on and tossed it to the ground before running her hands through Stefan's hair. His large hands were still around her face and his thumbs stroked her jawline.

"Mm…" she moaned.

Suddenly, he stopped kissing her. Megan groaned in response as she breathed heavily. Stefan's breathing was just as heavy, and his face buried into her shoulder. Megan stroked the back of his head for a moment before he pulled away completely from her and he turned around, so she couldn't see his face. It must have been changing. Megan tried to turn his head back towards her. She wanted to see him. Vampire face and all.

"Don't Stefan." Megan soothed.

"Megan, I can't…"

"You can. I want to see you. You don't have to hide from me, Stefan." She whispered, finally getting him to look at her. His eyes were red, and the veins still crawled towards his eyes. Megan wasn't scared because she knew he wouldn't do anything to hurt her as she traced the veins under his eyes and she could feel him starting to calm down. So, with that, she brought his lips back to hers.

Letting the kiss last for a few minutes, Megan pulled away, but he didn't let her stay away for long as he pulled her back into a kiss. His face was back to normal. Megan smiled into the kiss and she pulled away again as her eyes met his. Breathing softly, she took a hold of his hand to lead him up the stairs. They only made it to the landing as they kissed each other again. Keeping their lips pressed together, Megan allowed him to pick her up and her legs locked around his waist.

He brought her up to his room, laying her down on the bed before climbing on top of her. Her hands slid up the back of his shirt and he lifted himself up briefly, so she could slide it off of his torso. Then he started on her clothes, taking them off one by one. Megan moaned at his touch as his hands slid over and over her bare skin. Her moans only grew louder when he got her bra off, cupping her breasts.

"Stefan…" she panted, titling her head back as his heated kisses went down her neck. Her hands stroked his back, feeling his taut muscles. His lips only went further as his mouth found her breasts and he took a nipple into his mouth. Her fingers gripped his back, her nails digging into his skin. Oh, it felt too good for words.

Her body tingled with pleasure. The intensity of it all sent her senses into overdrive and the air crackled with her powers as all the lights in the room came on. Stefan must have heard the click on and he released her nipple to look at her.

"Sorry…" Megan panted again. "That…that hasn't happened before…"

"It's okay…" he told her softly, gently kissing her again.

She nodded as they continued to have their first time. Her panties came off and he was finally inside of her, causing her to gasp in delight. She gripped his back tighter as he started to move inside of her. Pleasure filled her face as they made love…and it was amazing.

* * *

Logan Fell left the warehouse and headed to his car. He stopped in his tracks near his car when he heard something from behind him. He turned around to look, however, there was no one there, then he looked again, and someone was there now. Alaric Saltzman, well not that he knew it.

"Who are you?" Logan asked, confused.

"A friend of Jenna's." Alaric responded, looking intense.

"Jenna sent you?" Logan said but made it sound like a question, instead of a statement.

Alaric shook his head, still looking at him, dead in the eye. "No, I came here on my own."

"Ah, I get it." Logan said, and he smirked. "Well buddy, I know that you think this makes you brave. But it actually makes you pretty stupid."

"Either way, here I am." Alaric countered back.

Logan just stared at him unflinchingly. "What do you want?"

"Jenna's a good person." Alaric responded, not actually answering his question. "She deserves the best. Here to make sure that she gets it." The last part answered Logan's question.

"Was that supposed to be a threat?" Logan circled around Alaric menacingly until he was in the spot that Alaric once was, and he continued. "Couldn't you throw a punch? Maybe provoke me a little?"

Alaric chuckled. "I'm not a violent guy by design."

"Well, you're not a very smart guy either." Logan stated intensely.

"How's that?"

Logan turned around so that his back was facing the other man. Unknown to him, Alaric had slid out a small stake from inside of his shirt.

"Because you have no idea who you're talking too." Logan threatened. He whirled around with his vampire face on and went to attack him. But as quick as taking off a bandage, Alaric stabbed Logan straight in the heart and the news reporter fell to the ground with the stake sticking out his chest. His skin greyed and he was still as he was effectively killed.

Alaric hovered over Logan's body before quickly leaving the scene.

* * *

Megan sighed in contentment as she snuggled against Stefan while they sat up in his bed covered in the blankets. She now had his shirt on and nothing else. She didn't even want to get up from this spot, or from this moment. As they laid there, Megan realized something.

"You know, I just realized I've never been in your bedroom before." She said, playing with Stefan's fingers and let hers lace with his. "Not that I'm complaining, it was worth the wait." She titled her head up to smile at him.

He smiled back, kissing her forehead and using his free hand to stroke her hair. "Hm, well it hasn't changed much over the years."

"Mm…" Megan straightened her head and smiled to herself. "Do you just leave your stuff here when you leave?"

He continued to stroke her hair as he spoke. "It's the only place that…that has remained constant. This room holds every memory I've ever thought that was important enough to hold onto."

Megan smiled again and snuggled into his chest. He kissed the top of her head gently.

"And there's definitely going to be a lot more of them…" she mumbled lovingly, turning her head to kiss his bare chest before looking up at him. He kissed her forehead again.

"Yep. Are you thirsty or anything?"

"Sorta. What about…" Megan was about to ask him the same thing before realizing it was a stupid question. "Nevermind…" she muttered embarrassed.

He just laughed, knowing what she was going to ask. "I'm fine. Let me get you something to drink, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you." Megan smiled. She knew she was smiling too much but she was so happy right now.

He kissed her, and she kissed him back. It was a brief kiss but still just as good as their other ones. He climbed out of bed. Megan stared after him as he left the bedroom, unable to believe what happened between them. She relaxed on the bed, smiling brightly. She stayed on the bed for a while, then got up to explore Stefan's bedroom. She was interested in what all he had in here.

Megan's fingers trailed over the books on Stefan's bookshelf before she moved over to a table. Something on there caught her eyes and she gasped in shock.

What the hell?

It was three pictures and on them, there was her, Elena, and Charlene, but it wasn't them… Written down below were three names.

Abigail Pierce, 1864. Demetria Pierce (wait wasn't she supposed to be related to Emily Bennett), 1864. Katherine Pierce, 1864.

Megan grabbed the Demetria picture with a shaky hand. Her free hand went to her mouth. This was not happening.

She dropped the picture and ripped her necklace from her neck, placing it down on the table. Then she quickly got dressed. After she finished, she ran out of the room and rushed downstairs just as Elena and Charlene ended the boarding house. Megan barely even paid attention to her as she ran past her two friends.

"Megan!"

She ignored them as she got in her car and drove off. She needed to get out of here. Before she knew it, she was driving down the highway, barely paying attention to where she was going. Her vision was blurry with tears.

Why did she look like Demetria? Why did Abigail and Katherine look exactly like Elena and Charlene? It was impossible! Sure, she believed in impossible things, but this was one, she couldn't wrap her mind around!

Megan finally snapped into attention when she noticed a man in the road. She screamed as she slammed on her breaks and the man crashed into her window. Before she could stop it, her car flipped over, causing her to be stuck in her car. Megan struggled, trying to get her seatbelt off, but it was no use. Fear hit her all at once as the man stood up and slowly started to approach her...

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Bloodlines, Part 1...**

 **And now it's time for my favorite episode! SO EXCITING! And yes, I decided for Megan to be the one stuck in Georgia with Damon, just because it would be interesting and it's time for Megan to be taken hostage haha. Also, gives Damon and Megan time to** _bond_ **. Which should be extra fun. ;) Anyway, thank you for reading and please leave reviews! Until next time on Surviving Vampires 101!**


	28. Bloodlines, Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the first part of Bloodlines! My most favorite episode of season 1! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

* * *

Stefan stood alone in his room now, holding the three pictures Megan had been staring at and her necklace had left in her shock and anger. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Stefan already had tried multiple times to get on the phone, but it wasn't working. It didn't stop from trying to call again. Just like the other times though, it went straight to voicemail, so Stefan left another desperate message.

"Megan. It's Stefan. I know these pictures must have confused you. But I can explain. I need to explain. So, please, when you get this call me." He hung the phone and sighed heavily.

Just then, he heard Charlene and Elena's voices behind him and he turned around to face them. Megan's best friend had her arms crossed across her chest, staring at him with a scowl on her face.

"What the hell happened?"

Stefan said nothing. Even if he couldn't explain to Megan yet, he needed to explain to Elena and Charlene. There was no use in keeping this secret any longer…

* * *

Megan screamed in shock and surprised, seeing a man on the road who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. She slammed on her brakes, hoping to avoid hitting him but it was no use as she crashed into the man. The force was so hard that her entire car flipped over multiple times until it was turned upside down. She groaned in pain, her vision blurred from the hit to her head when the car flipped. Her head pounded and her vision clearly up, causing her to see that the man was now walking towards her car. Defenses up, Megan screamed again as she frantically tried to pull her seatbelt off, but it was no use! Her screaming did help as the man disappeared. Before she could sigh in relief, someone's head popped in, causing her to scream again. Then Megan saw it was Damon and to her surprise, she sighed in relief.

"Damon…"

"How ya doing in there?"

That was such a stupid question to ask, but Megan was in too much pain to even get angry at him for it. "It hurts…Damon…" she whined, tugging on her seatbelt.

"You look stuck."

That made Megan growl under her breath in annoyance. "No shit Sherlock!"

Damon rolled his eyes. "I can always just leave you here…" he said as he started to move away.

"Don't you dare leave me here!" she cried out, tugging on her seatbelt again.

"Then calm down and let me help you." Megan sighed heavily before she nodded, relenting. "I want you to put your hands on the roof." She did as she was told without any arguing. Just like that. Are you ready?" Megan gave a quick nod. "1, 2, 3." He managed to get her seatbelt undone and he pulled her out of the car.

She tried to stay on her feet, but dizziness hit her, and she nearly fell to the ground if it wasn't for Damon catching her in his arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he held her in his arms. "Can you stand? Anything broken?"

"I-I'm fine." Megan managed to say, pulling Damon's arms off her. "You…you can go now…" She tried to walk away but she tripped over her own feet and he had to catch her again. Her eyes were fluttering, so she knew she was going to pass out soon.

"Whoa, you're fading fast, Megan. Megan, look at me." Damon gripped her face in his hands, trying to get her eyes to focus on him but it was no use. "Focus. Look at me. Okay."

Megan stared at him, and he slowly went out of focus. She managed to get a couple words out before she fainted.

"I look like her…"

A couple hours later, Megan woke up and she groaned at the pain in her head. She grimaced as she rubbed her forehead. It took her a minute to notice she was inside of a car. Before she could freak out, Megan looked over next to her and there was Damon in the car with her. He glanced at her from his peripheral vision.

"Morning." He greeted.

"Where the hell are we, Damon?" Megan asked, trying to ignore her pounding headache.

"Georgia."

This made her burst out laughing, even though it hurt to do so. "Ha! Right, you're funny, Damon! We're in Georgia!" Her laughter slowly died down as she noticed the serious look on his face. "No…no… _NO_. We can't be Georgia! Seriously Damon, where the hell are we?!"

"Seriously, we're…in Georgia."

"You got to be kidding me!" Megan groaned in exasperation, hitting herself in the forehead, forgetting her headache when she did it. But she remembered at the sharp pain in her head as she did it.

"There's no broken bones. I checked."

She ignored him. "Where's my car, Damon? What did you do with it? And that man I hit, what happened to him and who was he?" She shot out question after question without taking a breath.

Damon didn't look at her, keeping his eyes on the road. "That's what I would like to know."

Megan felt her pocket where her phone usually was, but it wasn't there. "Oh my god, where's my phone? What did you do with it, Damon?!" She was getting angry and it showed on her phone. He wasn't answering any of her questions! "I need to go back home. No one knows where I am! And we sure as hell can't be going to Georgia! Pull over the car." He didn't listen. "Damnit Damon, pull the damn car over!" She was almost screaming, trying to get it through his thick skull.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh you were so much more fun when you were asleep."

Megan glared at him as he finally pulled the car over and she quickly got out of the car, not wanting to be in the same space as him. She must have got out too quickly because her stomach lunged, and she felt like throwing up, which was exactly what she did. Megan made a face as she wiped her mouth off. Disgusting. Suddenly, she jumped a little when Damon appeared at her side, holding onto her shoulders. She let him for a minute before she shoved his hands off her and straightened, staring at him weird. He was acting too concerned for her taste.

"I'm fine." Megan muttered, crossing her arms. She looked around for a moment, taking in the emptiness of the road. "I need to go back home."

Damon sighed. "Oh, come on. Look. We've already come so far."

"Will you stop?! This isn't funny anymore! I can't be in Georgia! I wrecked my car, and no one knows where I am! If you keep me here without my consent, that's what you would call kidnapping!" Megan exclaimed. She didn't want to be here, especially not with Damon Salvatore! The one who nearly killed her sister and turned her best friend. There was no way!

He smirked at her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "That's a little melodramatic, don't you think?"

Megan automatically stepped back from him, so his hands dropped from her shoulders. "You think your funny, but you're not." She snapped. "Can you just listen to me and take me back home? I can't be in Georgia."

"Well, you're IN Georgia. Without your magical little necklace, I might add." He glanced at her neck briefly before meeting her eyes and giving her that smirk, the one she always wanted to smack off his smug face whenever he gave it. "I can easily make you…agreeable."

Megan felt her neck and sure enough, it was gone. Damnit. She cursed to herself. She had forgotten she left the necklace back at the boarding house. Megan stared at him in disbelief.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked. It was good question. What the hell was he getting out of this?

Before he could answer her, though she almost positive that he wouldn't have anyway, a cellphone started ringing. Her cellphone, to be exact, because she recognized the ringtone.

"That's my phone!" Megan cried out in realization as he pulled it out. She tried to grab it from him, but he just tugged it back from out of her reach. She glared at him.

"Mm." Damon smirked, glancing down at the caller id. "It's your boyfriend. I'll take it." He answered the call as he put the mobile to his ear. "Megan's phone…!"

"Where is she?" Megan stiffened at the sound of Stefan's voice. "Why do you have her phone? Is she okay?"

"Megan? She's right here. And, yes, she's fine." He made it sound like he was going to look over her in that disgusting way, but he did nothing of the sort.

"Where are you? Let me speak to her."

He pulled the phone away from his ear and held it out towards her. "He wants to talk to you."

"No, thank you." Megan denied, turning away. She was still pissed off at him. There was someone she did want to talk to though. "Is Char there?" She figured she was, but she thought she would ask just in case.

Damon asked and sure enough she was, so he handed over the phone back to her, so she could talk to her best friend.

"Megan, are you okay?" Charlene asked, concerned.

"As good as I can be…did Stefan…?" she trailed off, glancing at Damon.

"Yeah." Charlene confirmed over the phone. "He explained everything…just talk to him, Megan. He'll explain everything to you too…"

She didn't say anything for a moment. "I'm too mad to talk to him now." She waited for a protest, but it never came, only a heavy sigh.

"Okay. Can you put Damon back on the phone?"

Silently, Megan handed him the cellphone back and he took it. Instantly, she heard Charlene since her best friend was loud enough.

"Now you listen to me and listen good, if you harm one single hair on my best friend, you'll have to answer to me."

Damon gave a smirk, even though Charlene couldn't see it. "Looking forward to it."

"Damon…" He hung up the phone before she could finish. He looked like he was going to hand the phone back to Megan, but he tugged it back as soon as she reached for it.

"Damon, come on." Megan whined, stomping her foot childishly. "No one knows where I am. Can you just take me home, _please_?"

"We're almost there."

"And where is there exactly? Where are we going?"

"A little place right outside of Atlanta." Damon answered. "Come on, Megan. You don't really want to go back now. Do you?" She said nothing since she really didn't. Not after what happened with Stefan. "What's the rush? Time-out. Trust me. Your problems will still there when you get back home. Look. Step back away from your life for five minutes." Megan stared at him hard, crossing her arms. "Five minutes!"

"I don't trust you." She said bluntly. "So, will I be safe with you?"

"Yes."

"And you won't mind control me?"

"Yes." He repeated.

Megan said nothing for a moment. "Fine. But don't make me regret this." That was the last thing she said on the subject as she turned around to go back into the passenger seat.

* * *

Alaric was in the parking lot, bending over to look inside his car as he searched for his ring. He was still looking as Jeremy Gilbert came up to him.

"Hey, Mr. Saltzman." Jeremy greeted.

Alaric glanced at him before starting to look in his car again, "Hey Jeremy. I, uh, can't find my ring and I thought I put it—" Something shiny caught his eye, "There it is." He stood up and faced Jeremy as he slipped on his ring. "Losing family heirlooms—bad." He smiled at young man before him. "How's your extra credit coming? You pick of topic yet?"

Jeremy nodded. "Mystic Falls, Civil War era." He responded.

"What's the angle?"

"My family—I found a journal of an old ancestor who lived in the 1880s. And the Gilberts were one of the founding families of Mystic Falls. So…"

Alaric smiled. "That sounds good."

* * *

Charlene followed quickly behind Stefan as they went to find Bonnie, hoping she would help them find Megan. She was equally mad at Stefan for keeping this big of secret from her, Elena, and Megan. Charlene had the same kind of questions Megan, but she was telling her best friend the truth when she said Stefan explained everything. However, he never did tell her how or why all of them looked like Katherine, Abigail, and Demetria. No matter how hard she tried, she never could get him to answer that question. Maybe he was waiting for Megan to get back before he told them that.

This did make her realize why Damon had been interested in her. It wasn't her he was interested in, it was Abigail. It hurt her feelings a little to know that, but she was trying not to let it bother her. Because it honestly shouldn't. Damon wasn't a good guy for her, and he never would be.

It wasn't too long until they found Bonnie and Stefan went up to her with Charlene right behind him. She was only here, just in case Bonnie denied helping.

"Bonnie." Stefan said.

She glanced at him, looking a bit nervous. "Stefan…"

"Hey."

"Hi…"

Well, this was awkward.

"I haven't seen you lately. How are you doing with everything?"

"I'm fine. It's all fine." Charlene knew Bonnie well enough to know she was lying.

"Good."

"Yeah…" It was silent for a moment until Bonnie broke it. "Are you back in school?"

"No. Actually I came here to find you. I was hoping you could help me with something. A spell."

Bonnie stopped and turned to face him, arms tightening around her books. "Stefan, look, I know Megan, Elena, and Charlene…" she glanced at her for a moment before returning her gaze to Stefan. "And I appreciate what you did to help me, but I'm not really ready to dive in with you yet."

Charlene decided to speak up. "Please Bonnie, we really need your help." She said, and her best friend's sister looked over at her. "It's Megan. She's with Damon." Bonnie didn't say anything, but she knew that she got to her.

So, a few minutes later, they were sitting at on a bench.

Stefan pushed Megan's necklace towards Bonnie. "I have Megan's necklace." He told her. "I was hoping you could use this to make some sort of a connection. I just need to know she's okay."

"We both do." Charlene added.

Bonnie took the necklace, glancing down at it. "How do you know I can do this?" she asked Stefan as she looked up at him.

"Because I've known a few witches over the years. I've seen what they can do."

She bit her bottom lip. "I'm still new."

"It's okay. Give it a shot."

"Okay. All right." Bonnie closed her eyes, trying to make something happen. Whatever was supposed to happen, it didn't, and she looked frustrated and worried. "There's nothing. Nothing's happening. Usually, there's an image or…tell me if anyone's looking."

"Okay." Stefan said, and Charlene nodded. Bonnie picked up a leaf and tried to make it float, but it didn't work, and she looked scared now. "What is it?"

"Something's wrong…"

"With Megan?" Stefan asked, looking worried.

"With me. There's something wrong with me." Bonnie quickly grabbed her books from the table. "I have to go. I'm sorry, Stefan. I can't help you." She walked away quickly.

"Well, that was bust." Charlene sighed once Bonnie disappeared out of their sight. She looked at Stefan. "What are we going to do now?"

He didn't say anything, so she knew he had no answer to her question, and she sighed heavily. Hopefully Megan was going to be okay while they figured that out.

* * *

-0-

Megan wasn't planning on talking to Damon at all during the ride to wherever they were going, but she still needed to know a few things.

"So, what did you do with my car anyway?" she asked him, not bothering looking over at him.

"I pulled it off to the side of the road. I don't think anyone will bother it."

"Let's hope not." Megan sighed heavily, leaning back against her seat. "But this is great…now I don't have a car. Who do you think that man was? Think he could have been a vampire?" That would be the only explanation she could think of.

"From what I could tell, yeah…"

"Did you know him?" Stupid question, probably, but she didn't know. Damon could know him.

"If I've never met him, I wouldn't know him." Damon rolled his eyes. "I mean, it's not like we all hang out together at the Vamp Bar & Grill." The sarcasm was obvious.

"Sorry, how I was supposed to know?" Megan grumbled, crossing her arms. "Are we there yet?" He had her answer as he pulled in front of a bar. The name of it was on the building. Bree's Bar. Her eyebrows furrowed. "A bar? You took me to a bar?" He didn't answer as he got out of the car. Megan groaned and got out as well. "Why did you take me here? They're not going to let me in there. If you haven't noticed, I'm not old enough."

Damon didn't look worried. "Sure, they will." He headed inside before Megan could protest.

She groaned again. This day couldn't get worse.

Megan followed him into the bar, and no one asked for her ID like she thought they would. As soon they went inside, a woman, who was standing behind the bar and wiping down the counter, looked up and her eyes brightened.

"No, it can't be…Damon." The woman climbed over the bar and went over to them. "My honey pie." She grabbed his face in her hands, kissing him passionately.

Megan made a face as she watched them. That was something she wouldn't be able to unsee. A few minutes later, she was sitting at the bar with Damon as the woman, who she now knew as Bree, got everyone at the bar's attention.

"Listen up, everybody!" she shouted. "Here's to the man that broke my heart, crushed my soul, destroyed my life, and ruined any and all chance of happiness!" She poured shots for everyone, including Damon. "Drink up!" She and Damon shot back their drinks. "Ah! Whoo!" She wiped her mouth before looking over at Megan. "So, how'd he rope you in?" Bree poured Megan a shot.

She did take it, but she didn't drink, not yet. "I'm not roped in." She looked disgusted at the thought and she was. She would never be interested in Damon, god no. "I'm dating…"

Bree didn't let her finish and cut her off. "Honey, if you're not roped, you're whipped. Either way, just enjoy the ride." She smiled and poured another shot for herself.

"Right…" Megan rolled her eyes internally as she pushed her drink away, deciding not to drink it. "So, how did you two meet?"

"College."

This made her snort in disbelief as she looked over at Damon. " _You?_ You went to college? Seriously?"

He smiled, not bothered by her disbelief. "I've been to a college campus, yes."

"Wow…" Megan shook her head.

"About twenty years ago, when I was a sweet, young freshmen, I met this beautiful man, and I fell in love." Bree explained, leaning against the bar as she smiled at Damon, who smirked at her. "And then he told me about his little secret, made me love him more. Because, you see, I had a little secret of my own that I was dying to share with someone."

"She's a witch." Damon said in a hushed tone.

Megan's eyes brightened. "Really?" She didn't know many witches, so it was nice to know there was others out there.

Bree nodded. "Changed my world."

Damon's smirk widened. "I rocked your world." He said suggestively.

Megan knew what he meant and made a face. _Gross!_ The next thing Bree said had her eyes widening.

"He is good in the sack, isn't he?"

"Ew, hell no!" Megan exclaimed, making everyone in the bar look over at them. She blushed in embarrassment and she glanced at Damon to see him smirking at her. "Shut up." She grumbled.

"What? I didn't say anything."

"Yeah, but your thinking it and that's even worse." Megan rolled her eyes.

Bree smiled at their interaction before frowning. "But mostly he's just a runaway joe." She sounded bitter and she shot back her drink before changing the subject as she looked over at Damon. "So, what is it that you want?"

* * *

Jeremy climbed up the stairs of the Mystic Falls library to search for books for his essay for history. Once he made it up there, he walked down the shelves of books and stopped when he found the book that he wanted. Suddenly, books fell to the ground causing him to move back. Confused Jeremy bent down to pick up the books. After getting them up, he turned around and jumped, dropping the books again when a girl suddenly appeared.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry. There was this one book wedged between the other. And I pulled and then kaplunk, kaboom. Are you ok?" The girl said in one breath.

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

They both bent down to pick up the fallen books and ended up bumping heads. The girl couldn't help but laugh and Jeremy did too.

Once their laughter died down, the girl held out a hand. "I'm Anna."

Jeremy shook her hand. "Jeremy."

Anna smiled. She had a pretty smile, but Jeremy shook his head internally for thinking that.

* * *

Megan managed to convince Damon to let her go outside, so she could call Bonnie. Unfortunately, her sister never answered her phone call. She tried a couple more times but still no answer. Megan sighed, glancing back at the bar to find Damon watching her. She made a face at him before turning away.

She looked through her contacts, stopping at Stefan's name. Megan bit her bottom lip as she wondered if she should call him. She did want to know why he lied to her and didn't tell her that her and her friends looked like Katherine, Abigail, and Demetria respectively. But then, Megan thought about what Charlene said, so maybe she should hear him out. That thought in mind, she pressed on the contact and called him. He immediately answered the phone.

"Megan, is that you?"

She said nothing for a moment. "Yeah…it's me."

"Where are you?"

Megan didn't answer his question, asking one of her own. "How am I connected to Demetria, Stefan? And why do I look like her? And why does Elena and Charlene look like Abigail and Katherine?"

"I don't know…"

She scoffed. "I'm sorry, but I don't believe you, Stefan. You said you would explain, so explain."

"Tell me where you are, so that I can get you…and I'll tell you everything. Please."

Getting angry, Megan hung up on him. If he wasn't going to tell her now, she wasn't going to talk to him. She turned around and jumped, seeing Damon in front of her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Don't pretend to you care, Damon, because you don't." Megan snapped as she shoved past him to head back into the bar.

* * *

Bree stood in the bar, watching Damon and Megan as they headed back towards the bar. Quickly she rushed over to the smoothie machine and turned it on so Damon won't hear her. She grabbed the phone and started to dial the number of someone. She waited until she heard the person on the other line picked up.

"You'll never guess who showed up at my bar." Bree said to whoever was on the phone urgently.

* * *

Back in Mystic Falls at the old Fell Church, Bonnie moaned as she awoke. She looked around while sitting on the ground of the hole that she had fallen into. She knew that she had fallen under the church. Bonnie sat up and groaned from the pain in her leg. Looking down at it, her knee was all cut up and jeans had ripped open. Slowly, Bonnie stood up and tried to not let the pain get to her.

"Hello?" she called looking up at the gaping hole from above. "Anybody?"

Turning around, Bonnie let out a gasp at the thing that she saw.

* * *

Anna and Jeremy walked down the library with Anna pointing out things.

"This aisle is local and state history. And civil war is one over." Anna stopped next to the last one said and asked, "What do you need?"

"Local. 1860s. Do you work here?"

"Nope." Anna started walking again. "You want reference. This way." As they continued to walk, she spoke, "Um homeschooled, I study here for a mock school environment." She finally found the books they were looking here. "Ah here we go." She turned to Jeremy and gestured to the books. "Original settlers, town achieves, founder's stuff. It's all here." She bit her bottom lip as she looked up at him, biting her bottom lip. "So, what's your topic?"

"The town's fear and hysteria surrounding the war and how it influenced certain writers of the time."

"You might want to refocus that." Anna teased.

"The origin of local folklore and myths."

"So, you mean the vampires." Anna smiled, turned a heel, and walked off. Jeremy stared after her for few minutes before going after her.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Bloodlines, Part 2...**


	29. Bloodlines, Part 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the second part of Bloodlines! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

* * *

Since she didn't know how long she was going to be here, Megan might as well get something to eat. She wasn't going to let Damon stop her from eating. She couldn't even remember the last time ate, so she got a burger and fries. At the moment, Megan was taking the pickles off her burger, not because she didn't like them. She just didn't like them on her burgers. Of course, her mind was still thinking about Demetria and how she was connected to her.

"So, let's say for arguments sakes, I'm descended from Demetria, would that make me part vampire?" Megan asked, deciding to just question Damon because he would, at least, answer her questions unlike Stefan.

"Vampires can't procreate." Damon popped a fry into his mouth. "But we love to try." He smirked.

Megan gave him a look. "Damon, I'm being serious. Can you not joke around for one second?"

"Now, where would the fun be in there?" he smirked again as Megan rolled her eyes in exasperation. He then shook his head. "But no, if you were related, it would mean Demetria had a child before she was turned. Same can be said for Katherine and Abigail."

Megan stared at him for a moment. "So, what was his plan? Did Stefan think he could use me to replace her?" She put the bun back on her burger before taking a huge bite, deciding not be lady like about since she was starving. She sat it back down before wiping her mouth and sighing. She really hoped that wasn't the case.

"Kind of creepy if you ask me." Damon said with a shrug.

"Well, same can be said for you and Charlene." Megan retorted. He was silent for a moment.

"Come on, what? You don't like pickles?" Damon changed the subject, reaching out to take one of her pickles. "What's wrong with you?"

She went to smack his hand away, but he managed to snatch one and put it in his mouth. "I do like them for your information." She stuck her tongue out at him. "I just don't like them on my burgers, that's all. So, hands off." He held his hands up in surrender and she actually chuckled, unable to stop the smile from appearing on her face. "How is that you can eat? You're dead." She wasn't afraid to say the word because it was true.

Damon laughed before answering her question. "As long as I keep a healthy diet of blood in my system, my body functions pretty normally."

"Except for procreating." Megan teased. He just smirked, and she shook her head. She said nothing for a moment, regarding him seriously. "Another question…why are you being so nice? Is this all an act, to make me believe your not as bad as I think you are?"

He didn't have time to answer as Bree interrupted. "Here you go." She said, handing Damon a beer.

"Thank you."

Megan eyed his beer, then glanced up at Bree. "You know what, I changed my mind, I'll have one too." She announced, causing Damon to look over at her. She saw his look as Bree gave her one. "What? You told me to put what happened in Mystic Falls on hold for five minutes, and you know what? I need a beer for it." She picked up her beer, holding hers out for Damon to click it with his.

With a smirk, he clicked it and Megan took a long drink of her beer before setting it down to let out a satisfying sound.

 _2 hours later…_

Megan hadn't planned on drinking too much, but here she was at the bar, taking shot after shot with the rest of the bar. And Damon, who she didn't think she would be drinking with in a million years, but here she was.

"Ready…go!" Bree exclaimed.

Megan shot back her drink, faster than everyone else. She slammed down her shot glass and threw her arms in the air with a wide grin.

"And that's how you do it!" Megan cheered with a jump, giving the woman next to her a wink. "Now, Damon, how many was that? Three?" She smirked as she looked over at him to find him pouting. She burst out laughing, finding it amusing, before she pouted out her bottom lip and fluttered her eyelashes at him. "Aw, don't pout, Damon. It's not a good look for you. Or if you insist on being a baby about it, I can always give you a bib." She patted his cheek, giggling.

Damon got rid of the pout and schooled his face into his usual smirk as he pushed her hand away. "Sorry I can't unhinge my jaw like a snake to consume alcohol."

Megan stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "I'm gonna take that as a compliment!" she grinned before turning to Bree, liking the woman more and more, but mostly because she was giving out the alcohol. "How about another round, Bree?" This earned cheers from the people around, causing her grin to widen.

"Honey, you should be on the floor!" The woman, who she winked at, exclaimed, drunkenly.

"Girl, I'm not even drunk!" Megan informed her, rather loudly. "I have a tolerance that's way up here!"

"Alright. Here you go." Bree poured another round.

"Thanks, Bree-Bree, you're a saint!"

Megan blew her a kiss, then grinned as she downed her next shot before starting to talk Damon's ear off. He seemed not to care, and it looked like he was enjoying himself, but Megan barely noticed. She didn't even notice the fact that someone was watching her and Damon.

A little bit later, Megan was having a laughing fit at the pool table, having a good time with random people. She didn't even bother getting their names, not that she needed to since she was going to be leaving after Damon finished with whatever he had to finish with. Megan couldn't remember the last time she had this much fun. It was definitely before all this vampire stuff started. She definitely needed this break from Mystic Falls, not that she would ever admit it to Damon.

Finishing her current drink, Megan finally noticed that her cell phone was ringing in her pocket. With the familiar ring tone of Charlene's number, so she didn't have to bother looking at the caller id as she answered the phone.

"Charlene!" she exclaimed, slurring a bit on her best friend's name. "Finally! You called! I've missed you!"

"Meg, are you drunk?"

Megan could barely hear her over the sound of loud music. "What was that?!" she practically yelled into her phone, probably hurting Char's eardrums. "I can't hear you! Hold on, let me get outside!" She grabbed her bag and stumbled a bit as she tried to walk outside, and she managed to get out of there. "Okay, I'm out! What did you say again?!"

"I asked if your drunk. Did Damon take you to a bar or something? Where are you, Megan? Stefan and I…we're worried about you. When are you coming home?"

"I-I'm fin-d, Charlie! And nooooooo, I'm not drunk!" Megan giggled girlishly.

"Megan…"

"Okaaaaaay, maybe a litttttle…" She showed with her index finger and thumb how much even though Charlene couldn't see. "But, I'm fin-d! And I'm somewhere in…" Before she could finish, she stepped down off the steps and in the process, she lost her balance and dropped all of her stuff on the ground. "Oh nooo…" She pouted with a sigh.

Megan bent down to pick her stuff up along with her phone. She was about to put the phone back to her ear when she was suddenly grabbed, and her mouth was covered before she could even let out a scream.

* * *

Damon headed back over to the bar where Bree was at, wiping down the bar. She looked at him, then looked around for a moment before turning her gaze but to him.

"Where's your girl at?" she asked.

"She's not my girl." Damon corrected her. "But she was back there." He looked back at the pool table, frowning when he didn't see her there. So, he ended up going outside because maybe she was out there.

He stepped outside of the bar, immediately spotting Megan's phone on the ground. The light was still on, signally someone was on the phone. He picked it up, putting it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Damon!" Charlene's worried voice came over the phone. "Something happened to Megan! I was on the phone with her and…"

"Calm down, I'll find her." Damon tried to reassure her, and it seemed to work as her voice sounded calmer when she spoke next.

"Okay…call me after you find her…"

He didn't say that he would because she and he knew that he would. He hung up with Charlene before walking around the bar, spotting an electrical building. He started to head that way, but the sound of Megan's voice stopped him.

"Damon, no!"

He looked up to find his brother's girl hanging onto a tank. He didn't have time to react as he was hit by a wooden blank sending him to the ground.

* * *

Megan's eyes widened in horror, watching as Damon was sent flying to a ground. It was obviously this was a trap for whatever reason! Not knowing why, she was worried about Damon's safety, Megan hurriedly jumped down from the tank without hurting herself since it wasn't that far of a jump. She ran towards Damon while he was being repeatedly hit over and over with the wooden blank.

"Stop hurting him!" Megan yelled frantically, trying to get the person to stop. She wasn't so drunk anymore.

"What the hell?!" Damon choked out and the man hit him one final time, but he didn't stop there as he grabbed a tank of gasoline and started dumping on and around his body.

"Just stop!" Megan yelled again. In response, the man turned his head towards her, revealing his vampire teeth. Her eyes widened. He was a vampire!

"Who are you?" Damon demanded.

The man laughed darkly, tossing his head back. "That's perfect! You have no idea."

Megan breathed heavily as she got even more confused by the minute. "What are you talking about? What did he do?"

He didn't spare her a glance. "He killed my girlfriend." He glared heatedly at Damon, pouring more and more gasoline on him. "What did she do to you, huh?! What did she do to you?!"

"Nothing…" he grunted out, rolling on his back as the man finally tossed the gasoline tank to the ground.

"I-I don't understand, what's going on."

"My girlfriend went to visit Stefan, and Damon killed her. Got it?" He grabbed the bat and smacked Damon with it again, making him cry out.

Megan was still confused as hell, but only for a minute as she finally realized who he was, and her eyes widened. He was talking about Lexi! He was about to hit Damon, but Megan quickly stopped him.

"Wait! You're talking about Lexi, aren't you? You're her boyfriend…but I thought you were still human!"

His eyes turned to her, and her heart broke for him as she saw they were glistening with tears. "I was…"

"So, she turned you?"

"If you want to be with someone forever, you have to live forever." He turned back towards, poised to hit him again. Again, she stopped him.

"Wait! What's your name?" Megan quickly asked, deciding on that question because Lexi never mentioned him by name.

"Lee."

"Lee, you don't have to do this!" she pleaded with him. "I know what Damon did was extremely wrong, but Lexi…she loved you! She wouldn't want you do this!"

He turned towards her again, flashing his fangs, and Megan flinched. "You know nothing about her! _NOTHING!_ "

"I might not have known her that well, but I know she wouldn't want you to do it! Damon's a dick head and he probably deserves whatever you planning to do to him…"

"Megan, not helping…" Damon groaned.

She ignored him. "So please, don't it!"

Lee said nothing for a moment. "I'm doing you a favor." He said simply, lighting up a match as he turned towards Damon again.

Megan could have used her powers to stop him, but she wasn't going to. She knew it wouldn't do any good if she did it.

"No, _please_!" Megan begged. "Don't hurt him! Please, I know it hurts, but this isn't the way to go about it! If you do this, you won't be any better than Damon! Be the better man! Be the man Lexi fell in love with!"

Lee paused, still holding the match, as he looked back over at her, eyes scanning over her face. Megan had tears running down them now. After a moment, he blew out the match and threw it on the ground before grabbing Damon and tossing him into the building. Thankfully, he didn't attack him after that as he glanced back at Megan, his eyes still with tears in them.

"Thank you…" she whispered, knowing he would be able to hear her.

"I didn't do it for you." Lee responded simply, and Megan knew it to be true. He did it for Lexi.

With those final words, he disappeared out of sight. Once he was gone, Megan ran over to Damon's body and helped him up to his feet.

"Are you alright?" she asked, worry in her tone.

He managed a smirk. "Aw, I knew you cared about me." Megan rolled her eyes and let him drop to the floor. "Hey!"

"Don't get used to it." She informed him before heading back into the bar, leaving him alone. She didn't save him because she cared, she saved him because she knew it would kill Stefan if his brother, even if he would never admit it. Stefan loved Damon and always would, despite what he did. That was the only reason she saved him. At least that's what she told herself.

* * *

Stefan and Bonnie headed up to Bonnie's Grams' house and the door swung open, revealing Shelia Bennett on the other side.

"Well, now, look who's return to battle." Shelia said, smiling as she hugged her granddaughter. Once the hug broke, she spoke again, glancing at Stefan. "Can I talk to your friend for a minute?"

Bonnie nodded, looking back over at Stefan. "Thank you."

Stefan nodded, giving her a soft smile. Bonnie smiled back before going inside the house and Sheila closed the door behind her granddaughter. It left her and Stefan alone to talk.

"I appreciate your help, Stefan." Sheila started off.

"You're welcome…" He paused for a moment, a smile appearing on his face. "Shelia."

Sheila hid a big smile. "I wasn't sure you remembered."

"October 1967."

"I was barely a teenager."

"And you were leading what was probably the only antiwar sit-in within miles of Mystic Falls." Stefan added.

Sheila nodded. "Hmm."

"You know when you spoke, people were memorized," Stefan said remembering it vividly in his head. "I know I was." He smiled.

"Until the cops showed up," Sheila said with a laugh before she grew serious. "You took a big risk coming to see me earlier. Letting me read you, realize what you were. It could have gone a completely different."

Stefan nodded, a serious look on his face. "Your family has a very long history about keeping my secret. I knew I could trust you if you believed I was worthy of your trust."

Shelia said nothing for a moment. "Bonne knows, doesn't she?"

"Yes."

"Please understand, our loyalty can only extend so far. This town won't be easy on any of us if they figure it out. And I'll protect my own before anybody else." Sheila warned.

Stefan nodded. "I know that."

Sheila nodded back. "As long as we're clear," she said. "Goodnight then."

"Goodnight Sheila." Sheila smiled as she went inside her house and closed the door behind her.

* * *

Bree drowned her shot, swallowing it before she heard Damon's voice from behind her. She forced herself not to look frightened as she stayed with her back facing him.

"We were just leaving, I wanted to say goodbye." Damon said, looking oddly calm.

"Good to see you again."

"No kiss?"

Bree turned towards him, finally. "I'm full of vervain." She warned slowly, keeping her voice cool and collected. "I put it in everything I drink."

"And your telling me this why?" Damon said, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"Lexi was my friend," Bree said, looking close to tears. "How could you?" She turned away from Damon was already in front of her and she managed to cry out before he could do anything. "The tomb can be opened!"

Damon's eyes narrowed at Bree as he moved closer to her. "You're lying!"

"Emily's grimoire, her spell book. If you know how she closed the tomb the reversal process will be in her book. You can open that tomb."

"And where is this book?"

"I-I…"

Damon took menacing steps towards her as she backed away as quickly a she could. "You have no idea," he growled.

"No! I'm telling you the truth!"

"And I believe you. My dear, sweet Bree," Damon cooed as he ran a hand down her cheek and she closed her eyes, letting out a sigh of relief. "That's why I'm almost sorry…"

Bree's eyes flew open and she let out a cry of pain as Damon took her heart out. He watched her fall to the floor with a surprisingly sorry expression on his face. With that, he wiped off his hand and grabbed his jacket before he walked out of the bar and got into the car where Megan was waiting for him.

* * *

They were finally in Damon's car, heading back to Mystic Falls. It was great to get away for a while, but Megan knew she couldn't stay away for long, not when there was stuff going on that she needed to know about. Megan stayed silent for most of the car ride, not really knowing what to talk about with Damon. But then something she wanted to ask came to mind.

"Why did you bring me with you anyway, Damon? You could have done this by yourself." Megan said, breaking the silence between them as she looked over at him.

"Well, you're not the worst company in the world, Megan." He said, but it didn't really answer her question. "You should give yourself more credit!"

She crossed her arms. "That doesn't answer my question, Damon. It has to be something more than just that."

He said nothing for a moment, glancing over at her. "You were there in the road, all damsel-in-distress-like. And, I knew it would piss off Stefan."

And there was the real reason.

"Should have known…" Megan mumbled.

"But mostly because you're not the worst company in the world." Damon continued, and she looked up at him.

"Well, thanks, I guess." Megan faced forward again before smiling widely, realizing something. "Then again, if I hadn't been there, you would be dead right now. Because I wouldn't have been there to save your life."

"I know." Damon admitted, actually smiling a little.

She looked at him again, smirking now. "And trust me, I'm not going to let you forget it."

The rest of the car ride flew by and before she knew it, they were back in Mystic Falls. Damon dropped her off at the boarding house before going god knows where, but that was the last she needed to worry about. Because now she finally had to talk to Stefan.

Megan went up to his room and he was there, but he wasn't alone as Charlene and Elena was there. Both of them perked up when they saw her and the blonde vampire was the first one to come up to her, hugging her tightly.

"Thank god! I was so worried about you!" she exclaimed as she hugged her.

Megan hugged her best friend back just as tightly. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to worry you. I had no idea that would happen."

"It's okay." Charlene pulled back from the hug and looked her over. "Are you okay? Damon didn't bother you too much, did he?"

"Damon was Damon." That was really all she wanted to say on the subject as she finally turned towards Stefan. "Hi…"

"Hi…"

Megan didn't beat around the bush any longer. "You could have told me. Why didn't you tell me?"

Charlene stepped back over to Elena, so they could have their moment, but she stayed in the room, still wanting to hear what he had to say. It didn't bother Megan because both of them were apart of this too.

"I wanted to tell you…" Stefan said quietly.

"But you didn't." Megan told him calmly. She wasn't angry anymore…just frustrated. "You told me there would be no more lies, Stefan, and here's yet another one to add onto the pile." She let out a frustrated breath. "I don't get why your keeping stuff from me. I've been able to handle everything else you threw at me: You're a vampire. You have a vampire brother. You told me my best friend got turned into a vampire. I was able to handle it. And I can handle the fact that I look like your ex-girlfriend, that my best friend looks like your brother's ex-girlfriend, and that Elena looks like your brother's ex-girlfriend's sister." That was a mouthful. I just want to know the truth…and _what_ exactly I am to you? _Who_ am I to you?"

Stefan stepped forward towards her. "You are not Demetria. You are the opposite of everything that she was. And so are you guys. You two are nothing like Katherine and Abigail." Those last two parts were directed at Charlene and Elena.

"And when did you figure that out, Stefan?" Megan questioned, crossing her arms over her chest. "Before we kissed? Before we slept together?" Her voice cracked at the end. Since it was one of the things that hurt the most.

He shook his head. "Before I met you…before I met all three of you."

Megan stared at him, shocked. "What?" She shared glances with Elena and Charlene, who looked just as shocked as she did.

"The first day of school. When we met. It wasn't the first time."

"Then when was it?"

Stefan sighed as he made eye contact with Elena. "Elena was the first one I met…and that was in May 23, 2009…"

The brunette's mouth dropped. "What? But…but that was…"

"That was the day your parents' car went off the bridge." Stefan finished quietly.

"You were there?"

Megan couldn't believe it. If that was when he met Elena, when did he meet her? She stayed silent as Stefan went on with his story.

"Every couple of years when I come back here, to see Zach and see my home. Last spring, I was out, by old Wickery Bridge. And I heard the accident. All of it. I was fast getting there, but not fast enough. The car was already submerged. Your dad was still…he was still unconscious. I was able to get to him, but he wouldn't let me help him, until I helped you…"

Elena immediately started crying and Charlene grabbed a hold of her sister, holding onto her tight as her own eyes welled up with tears.

"Oh my god…" she managed to say through her tears. "When I woke up in the hospital, nobody could figure out I got out of the car. They said it was miracle…"

Stefan gave a soft nod, his face filled with emotion. "I went back for them. But it was too late. I couldn't – I couldn't save them. When I pulled you, I looked at your face…you looked like Katherine. I couldn't believe the resemblance…so I started following you…and then I met you…" He turned his gaze to Megan. "You were sitting in the Grill with Charlene and I just couldn't believe it…you looked so much like Demetria…I spent months making sure you weren't her. I watched you. I learned everything about you. And I saw you were nothing like Demetria at all. And I got to know Elena and Charlene in the process and they were nothing like Katherine and Abigail either. I wanted to leave town, but, Megan, I couldn't. I couldn't leave without knowing you. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you…all three of you. I wanted to…"

That was one question answered, but there was another one Megan needed to know. All three of them did.

"Why do we look like them?"

Stefan sighed. "Megan…"

"Tell me please…" she begged.

He said nothing as he sat down on the nearby couch and he gestured at all three of them. They all sat down. Megan stared, waiting for him to say something.

He finally did.

"It didn't make sense to me. Elena and Charlene were Gilberts, Katherine and Abigail were Pierces, and you were a Bennett and Demetria was a Pierce. But the resemblance was too similar. And then I learned the truth…" He paused for a moment, looking down at his feet before looking back up at them. "All of you were adopted…"

* * *

Charlene couldn't believe it. They…they were adopted. Miranda and Grayson weren't their real parents. Her head was pounding. All this information was too much. Same could be said for Elena, but she actually ran from the room, while Charlene stayed, wanting to know more.

"How do you know this?" Charlene asked quietly, leaning into Megan's side as her best friend wrapped her arm around her shoulders.

"Your and Elena's birth certificates from the city records." Stefan started to explain, keeping eye contact with them. "They say Elena and Charlene Gilbert, Mystic Falls General. But there's no record of your mother ever being admitted. There's no record of her ever being pregnant."

"And what about me?" Megan questioned.

"There's record of her ever being pregnant either…" he said.

"But I'm still confused…I thought Demetria was Emily's sister?"

"She was…Emily's adopted sister. She's Katherine and Abigail's sister…"

Megan stayed silent. "So…does that mean I'm related to Char and Elena?"

"I have no idea."

It would make complete sense if Megan was related to her. She already felt like a sister to Charlene.

"What else do you know?" Charlene asked Stefan after a moment of silence.

He shook his head. "For me to go any further, I would've have had to look into the Pierce family, and I couldn't do that. It's too much of a risk. If someone found out I was asking about Katherine, Abigail, and Demetria…Listen to me…it doesn't matter." He cradled Megan's face in his hands, seemingly forgetting Charlene was there as she sat there awkwardly. "You are the woman I love. _I love you_."

Megan stared at him with soft eyes. "I love you too." She kissed him for a moment before burying her face into his chest.

"I'll leave you two, alone." Charlene said softly as she stood up. "I need to make sure Elena's okay." She started to walk out but stopped at the sound of Stefan's voice and she turned her head to look at him.

"I'm so sorry, Charlene." He told her quietly, holding onto Megan tightly.

She just nodded at him before leaving the boarding house and getting into her car where Elena was, tears streaming down her face.

"Are you alright?" Charlene asked her sister.

"N-no…I'm not…we're adopted…Char…" Elena whispered through her tears. "Why didn't Jenna tell us? And what about Megan? Is she related to us?"

Charlene sighed in response. "I don't have all the answers, Lena. We're going to have to ask Jenna, okay? And we're going to find out." She didn't say anything else on the subject as she started her car and drove away from the boarding house.

It didn't take too long to get back to their house and Charlene was the first to walk in, followed by Elena. Their aunt was sitting down on the couch, flipping through a magazine when they came in. Jenna looked up at them before she could get a word out, Elena interrupted her angrily.

"Jenna, are we adopted?" she demanded.

Jenna's mouth dropped in response. "I…"

Elena took that as answer enough and she shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe this!" she exclaimed, heading towards the stairs.

Jenna stood up and quickly followed. "Elena, wait!"

Her sister whirled around. "Why didn't you tell us?! I thought we were closer than that."

Charlene was mad her aunt too, but she clearly wasn't as mad as Elena was. Then again, she was always the one to remain calm in situations like this.

"Elena, I didn't…they asked me not to." Jenna said in a tone clearly begging with her to understand. She did glance at Charlene too, but the blonde still didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say.

"I don't want to hear it!" Elena stormed up the stairs, leaving Jenna and Charlene alone.

There was silent until Jenna turned to Charlene. "Are…are you going to yell at me too?" she asked in a hesitated tone.

"I think Elena did that enough for the both of us." Charlene responded simply, starting to head up the stairs. She didn't get far.

"I'm sorry." Jenna stopped her, grabbing her arm. Charlene didn't look back at her. "I wanted to tell you…but I promised your mom…and dad…"

After a moment, Charlene looked back at her. "I know…but you could have told us…I think mom and dad would forgive you for telling us…they're not here anymore to get angry at you…we had to hear it from someone else. We should have heard it from you, Jenna." Her aunt looked down at her feet, but she continued. "Is there anything you need to tell us about? About Megan…?"

Jenna looked up and bit her bottom lip. "Yeah…" she sighed. "Megan's your sister…but there's something else…Elena isn't."

"W-what?" Charlene looked at her aunt, shocked.

* * *

Alaric was sitting at the bar in the Grill, grading papers, when he heard a voice say,

"Bourbon."

Alaric looked over at a man with messy black hair. The man glanced at him too and Alaric froze, finding himself in flashback. The man was the same person, who killed his wife, Isobel. Alaric sat down his drink with an angry expression on his face.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Unpleasantville, Part 1**

 **So much new information, huh?! And yep, Megan is Charlene's sister and not Elena. So if Charlene's real mom isn't Isobel, then who is? If you read my old story, you already know who it is. Another question is how does Megan have her powers if she's not a Bennett by blood? All those answers will be answered soon. Anyway, please leave reviews! And tell me what you thought of the new chapter! Until next time on Surviving Vampires 101!**

 **P.S. What would you think about Charlene having a thing with an original? If so, who would you pick? It would have to be between Klaus or Elijah. Whoever gets the most votes, that's who it will be! I'll actual put up a poll in a bit about so you can vote there, or in a review!**


	30. Unpleasantville, Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the first part of Unpleasantville! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

* * *

It had been a couple days since finding out about everything, and it was enough time for Megan to process everything. At least the thing about Demetria, Abigail, and Katherine. The whole adoption thing was harder to get over. That just made her entire life seem like a lie. She wasn't a Bennett, and Bonnie wasn't her sister…but Charlene was. Her best friend was her _sister_. She definitely never expected that one at all. Yes, Charlene had always felt like a sister to her, but being blood related to her was so crazy. Tough thing was, Megan still hadn't told Bonnie about it as she was afraid of her reaction. They weren't related by blood either, but they were by marriage. Still, she was sure it would still be hard to hear they weren't related period.

Megan would tell her but not yet. Not when there was even more to worry about, considering the new threat on their hands. She was settled down on Stefan's bed, leaning back on her elbows, and talking about what occurred when she was ran off the road.

"Do you have any idea who that man could be?" Megan asked, staring up at the ceiling. She had been raking her brain, trying to figure out who it, but honestly, how could she know? The only vampires she knew was Stefan, Charlene, and Damon. Oh, and Lee, but she knew it couldn't have been him since he had showed up after the fact. So, who could it be?

Stefan took her hand and tugged her up, so she was sitting up. "I don't know," he answered. "Do you remember anything about him?"

"Not much." Megan admitted. She wished she did. "All I remember is that he was wearing black boots. It was too dark, so I couldn't see his face." She groaned lowly in frustration, wishing she could remember more about him. "Sorry…"

"It's okay." He assured her, kissing her forehead. Megan gave him a weak smile, and he changed the subject. "I brought some vervain for, um – for you." He let go of her hand and grabbed this box at the end of the bed before opening it up as Megan peered inside. "Also, I have some for Charlene to give to Jenna and Elena, and this bracelet for Jeremy." He handed the bracelet over at her and she examined it for a moment, then looked back at him. "And a few extra ones for friends."

"So, it doesn't have to be in just a necklace?" Megan asked curiously, touching her necklace with her free hand.

"No, it can put in any kind of jewelry. Or, you can even put it in food or drink, but as long as it's in you or on you, a vampire can't control you." He handed her a vial, which she figured had vervain in it.

"That's good, especially if there's a new vampire in town." Megan said, picking up a dried-up branch of vervain from the box. Then, she realized that Stefan had missed someone. "What about Bonnie? Wouldn't she need vervain too?"

He shook his head. "Since she's a witch, she can't be compelled by vampires."

"Then that means…I don't really need the necklace." Megan pointed out. She was a witch.

"No, you can go without it. I gave it to you before I found out you were a witch."

Megan nodded. He had a point there.

"Got it, but I won't take it off." Megan reassured him, guessing that's what he was thinking. She gave him a smile. "I love it too much."

Stefan smiled back. "Good."

Her smile widened slightly before she leaned in to kiss him. It was a brief kiss, so it didn't last long. Megan pulled back and she got off the bed.

"I'll see you later, I'm eating dinner with Elena and Charlene." She told him, kissing his cheek. Before she could leave, her boyfriend spoke up.

"How are they doing with everything?" he asked, concerned.

Megan sighed, remembering the last conversation with them. One that had Elena crying, and her and Charlene comforting her. Elena was taking this harder than Charlene. Her best friend was upset, yes, but not nearly as much as Elena.

"They're doing as well as they can be." Megan finally answered Stefan with another sigh as she sat down at the end of the bed. "They're still not talking to Jenna. They're pretty mad at her." She couldn't blame them. She was kind of mad at her too, for not telling her Charlene was her sister. But she wasn't too mad since it was supposed to be her adoptive parent's job to tell her. Since they weren't around, it would have been nice to be told to the one adult who knew about it.

Stefan nodded in understanding, and Megan stood up again.

"See you later." She told him.

"Be careful."

"I will." Megan gave Stefan one more kiss before she left the boarding house and got into her new car.

She made it to the Gilbert house and didn't bother knocking as she headed into the kitchen, giving a quick hi to Jeremy, who was sitting on the dining room table, sketching.

Charlene was there, quietly reading on one of the stools in the kitchen. She looked up though when she heard Megan come in. Charlene smiled slightly.

"Hey." She greeted."

"Hi." Megan smiled and sat down in the stool next to her. "How are you doing?"

"Good as I can be." Charlene sighed, turning to the next page in her book.

Megan just nodded. She honestly didn't know what to say. Ever since finding out about her and Charlene being sisters, it felt weird when they were in the same room together. Megan broke the silence as she hoped to fix the awkwardness.

"Are we okay?" she asked softly.

Charlene looked up, startled. "What? Of course, we are. Why would you ask that?"

"I don't know…" Megan mumbled. "It's just…ever since finding out about us being related…it's been weird."

"What? No, it hasn't."

Megan said nothing. Was it just her then?

"There's nothing weird about it, Megan." Charlene said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it tight. "You're my best friend, you have been like a sister to me, and now we really are, and I'm so excited about that."

"Really?"

"Yes. _Really_." Charlene squeezed her hand again. "And who cares if I'm adopted, Elena will still be my sister, even if we're not biologically related. But now, I have two of them."

Megan's eyes couldn't help but well up with tears. "Char…"

Seeing the tears in her eyes, Charlene instantly pulled her into a hug. When she pulled back, Megan saw that there were tears in her eyes too.

"Great, now we're both a crying mess." She joked, wiping her eyes as Charlene wiped her own.

Her best friend…no sister, chuckled. "I blame you for it…" she joked right back.

Megan gave a hearty laugh. "Okay, I'll take the blame for it."

Just then, the doorbell rang and a few minutes later came Jeremy's voice.

"Char, I need the money!"

Charlene shook her head. "Okay, coming!" she called back. "I'll be right back." She told Megan. She left the kitchen, but Megan followed behind her.

The pizza guy was inside the house and had just sat down the box of people when they came into the foyer.

"Hey." Charlene greeted. "How much did you say it was?" She received her wallet from her purse, flicking through the bills inside of it.

"Twenty-two dollars." The pizza guy answered, taking a glance at Megan.

Immediately, she stiffened. There was something about him that didn't feel right, but she didn't know what it was. She did know she didn't like it at all as she crossed her arms over her chest protectively.

Charlene gave him the money. "Okay, here you go." She smiled kindly. "Keep the change."

The pizza guy nodded, taking the money. He smiled as well as he walked backwards out of the house.

"Thanks. And you girls have a good night." He looked at Megan again, seemingly to smirk at her knowingly.

She pursed her lips as Charlene closed the door behind him. The blonde turned to her, seeing the look on her face.

"Are you alright?" Charlene asked, concerned.

Megan shook her head as soon as she asked. "I'm fine…just being paranoid, I guess."

Charlene nodded slowly, still looking concerned, but she made no other comment, thankfully. She picked up the pizza.

"Elena, dinner!" Charlene called up the stairs before heading back into the kitchen.

Megan stood there for a moment, staring at the closed door. She frowned as she wondered why she got such a bad feeling from this guy. Megan shook her head. Maybe she really was just paranoid… Shaking her head again, she went into the kitchen too.

* * *

The next day, Stefan headed towards the library. As he walked up, there were books of all kinds haphazardly across the room. Finally entering the library, Stefan saw Damon throwing books to the ground as he searched through the shelves. He was obviously looking for something.

"What are you searching for, Damon?"

Damon stopped in his searching to look at his brother. "Not your concern." He said before he started searching through books again, only to throw them off to the ground when it wasn't the one, he was looking for.

"No, but putting Megan in harm's way is my concern," Stefan told him seriously.

"Mmm." Damon flipped through the pages of a book he had in his hands, not looking at his brother. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Atlanta," Stefan answered.

Damon finally looked away from the book to glance at Stefan. "Oh, yeah." He said with a smirk. "Megan and I had a blast."

Stefan shook his head, amused. "I get it. You're just bitter because one of us gets to be, and poor Abigail is just out of reach. Unless there's another way for you to get in that tomb." He paused for a moment. "Is that what Bree told you?"

"Your pathetic when your fishing."

"And your transparent when your deflecting." Stefan retorted.

Damon looked at him. "Don't you have school?" he questioned annoyed as he grabbed another book off the shelf.

Stefan just smiled and walked out of the library with Damon staring after him.

* * *

The school bell rang at Mystic Falls High School, signaling the end of class. Students got up from their desks and started to leave the classroom. Jeremy still hadn't left yet as he was still packing up. Just then, a paper was put on his desk, stopping him from what he was doing. Jeremy was stunned to find what grade was on it. It was an _A_. He looked up at Alaric, who was smiling down at him.

"Surprised?" Alaric said as Jeremy picked up his essay. "It's a good essay. Your thoughts are clear, and your argument is laid out. It's just uh…" He laughed. "You don't actually think there are vampires in Mystic Falls." He went back to sit down at his desk as Jeremy spoke.

"No…" He said. "I mean, I think statistically there's been more animal attacks, mysterious deaths, uh, people gone missing, more than any other place in the whole commonwealth of Virginia."

Alaric smiled at his theory. "It's conjunction, but creative which is why you got the 'A'." He told Jeremy as the boy finished packed up his stuff. "I just wouldn't get too, uh, caught up in the whole conspiracy theory of it all."

"Ah, I won't." Jeremy promised as he started to walk out of the classroom but was stopped by Alaric speaking.

"Oh, uh, Jeremy the source that you cited for the 1860s info…" Alaric looked through some notes on his desk. "Uh, Jonathan Gilbert…?"

"Oh, my ancestor's journal." Jeremy said, fixing his bag over his shoulder.

Alaric nodded. "I'd really like to see that sometime."

"Really?" Jeremy asked, surprised.

Alaric grinned. "A first-person account of the Civil War." He said. "It's like porn for a history teacher."

Jeremy took out the journal, smiling slightly. "If you think my essay's creative, wait till you get a load of this." He reached into his bag to grab the journal before placing it on his teacher's desk.

"Thank you!" Alaric called out as Jeremy left the room.

* * *

Charlene met up with Elena at her locker, handing out the bracelet Megan gave to her to give to her sister.

"What's this?" Elena asked curiously, taking it from her.

"A bracelet." Charlene answered simply. It earned a look from Elena, and she laughed. "Okay, not just any bracelet. It has vervain in it."

Elena's eyebrows furrowed at the unfamiliar word. "What's that?"

"It's an herb that keeps vampires from compelling you." Charlene explained. "I already gave one to Jeremy and to Jenna." Elena gave a scowl at the mention of her aunt, causing the blonde to sigh. "Are you ever not going to be mad at her?"

"No." Elena said instantly, crossing her arms. "She lied to us, Charlene. She didn't tell us we were adopted…and we're not even sisters. How can I forgive her for that?"

Charlene said nothing, knowing Elena had a point. But it wasn't completely Jenna's fault. Miranda and Greyson told her not to say anything. If anyone, it should be them they were mad at, but that wasn't that case. It was hard to be angry at someone when they weren't apart of your life anymore.

"I don't know." Charlene finally said. "But we can't be mad at her forever. She's the only family we have left besides Jeremy." That was the last thing she said on the subject as she changed it, handing her a necklace. "Can you give this Caroline since you'll be seeing her later? It has vervain in it too."

Elena nodded. "Okay. I will." She said nothing for a moment. "What do we need these for again?"

"It's just for safety purposes." Charlene told her. "Just in case that vampire ran into Megan's car shows up."

Elena nodded in understanding. "Has Megan told Bonnie yet? You know, about her being adopted?" she asked suddenly.

"No, I don't think she has yet." Charlene responded. "I think she's too nervous to tell her."

"Nervous? Megan?" If you knew her, you would know Megan was never nervous about anything.

Charlene nodded. "Yep. I can't blame her…I feel the same way about telling Jeremy." She was nervous about his reaction. Would he be pissed? Sad? She just didn't know.

Elena went silent at that and Charlene knew she felt the same way. The school bell rang, ending their conversation.

"I'll see you later." Charlene told Elena, kissing her on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Charlene smiled in response before leaving to go on to her next class.

* * *

Later at the Grill after school let out for the day, Matt Donavan sat at the bar, filling in an application for a job there. He didn't notice Ben McKittrick, an old student at Mystic Falls, walking over to him from the other side of the bar. Matt only noticed him when he sat down a tray of glasses down on the counter and spoke to him.

"Matt Donavan." Ben said with a grin, causing Matt to look up. "What do you know?"

Matt grinned. "Ben McKittrick. What's up man?"

"Rough season, bud?"

Matt nodded, leaning his chin against his hand. "Yeah. It's kind of hard to recover when you have to forfeit half your games."

"You gonna be working here?" Ben asked, placing his elbows on the counter as he leaned in towards Matt and glanced down at the application.

"Yep, following your footsteps." Matt responded with another grin. "Well, minus the state champion ship."

Ben shrugged. "Well, we can't all be football gods."

"Yeah."

"So, what's the plan? Cook line?"

"Busboy."

* * *

Megan sat with Elena, Bonnie, and Charlene at the Grill, having dinner with them. Elena was just telling her sister about the fact her and Charlene were adopted. Megan stayed silent for the most part about that.

First of all, because she already knew about it, and second of all, because she decided not to tell Bonnie about her being adopted too. She wanted to tell her when it was just her and Bonnie. It was just something she needed to tell Bonnie alone. Megan picked at her food as Bonnie spoke up, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I can't believe your both adopted." She said as she shook her head again. "I never saw that coming."

"Yeah, us either." Charlene said, shaking her head too.

Elena frowned. "Yeah…and it gets even weirder. We both looked at our birth certificates and it lists Miranda and Greyson Gilbert as our parents. None of it makes sense."

"Which is why you ask Jenna."

Elena groaned in response.

"She's right, Elena." Charlene agreed with Bonnie, placing her hand on her sister's shoulder. "We really should have Jenna about it."

Elena glanced between the two of them. Megan figured the brunette figured both of them were right but hesitated to agree with them.

Megan finally decided to speak up. "Both of them are right." She said, causing Elena to look over at her. "I know your mad at her, but first of all, the Elena we know would want to know the truth. Good or bad."

"And second of all?"

Bonnie took over for that one. "Second of all, you just found out Megan's boyfriend is a vampire and your sister is one too. So, unless your parents are aliens, how bad could it be?"

Megan chuckled at the alien part as Elena stood up from her seat, deciding to change the subject.

"Ah, okay, look, I have to go to the store. My outfit for the dance is severely lacking accessories."

"I'll go with you." Charlene said as she got up from her seat too. She glanced at Megan. "You want to come with? You know how horrible I am at these kind of things, I could use the help."

Megan laughed. "Sure. I was just about to ask." She stood up as Bonnie spoke up.

"Okay, I'll pay for the bill." She offered. "See you guys later."

"Bye."

Megan gave Bonnie a kiss on the cheek before leaving with Elena and Charlene. Once outside, she headed over to her car with Elena and Charlene in tow since they were going to take a car together. As she reached into her purse to grab her keys to unlock the door, her cellphone rang with an unknown number on the caller id. A gut feeling told her not to answer it, but Megan answered it anyway.

"Hello, who is this?" she asked. She noticed Char and Elena giving each other curious looks.

"Hello Megan."

Megan frowned again. "Um, yeah, that's me. Who is this?"

"You hit me with your car."

As soon as those words left his mouth, Megan froze as she realized who it was. "What do you want?" she demanded, her voice raising bit. It caused Charlene and Elena to huddle close to her. She ignored them as the guy spoke again.

"Is that a new one?" he asked, completely ignoring her question. "And I see Elena and Charlene are with you too. I didn't get a chance to meet them. I was hoping it would be all three of you in the car. That way I had the chance of meeting all three of you."

"What do you want?!" Megan demanded again, raising her voice even louder.

"Megan!" Elena cried out her name in fright.

Megan whirled around, spotting a man in a black hoodie, approaching the three of them.

"And you might have got away the last, but you won't next time. Especially since I have all three of you now."

"Get in the car!" Charlene shouted as Elena hurriedly did as her sister said once Megan unlocked the door. They all gathered in the car and hurriedly drove away.

Charlene was actually behind the wheel because Megan was too shell shocked to drive. But she managed to shake out of it to call her boyfriend. Once he answered, Megan spoke up, unable to stop the fear from escaping her tone of voice.

"Stefan…we have a problem…"

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Unpleasantville, Part 2...**

 **And there's the first part! I hope you guys enjoyed it! And please leave reviews!**

 **Also, there's a poll up for this story! So please check that out and leave your vote for what Original Charlene should have as a love interest. The poll will end when season 2 starts! So you have a lot time to decide which one you want! Anyway, until next time on Surviving Vampires 101!**


	31. Unpleasantville, Part 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the second part of Unpleasantville! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

* * *

Charlene sat on the couch with Megan and Elena in the library of the Salvatore boarding house. She had both of her arms around her sisters' shoulders. They were both still shaken about what occurred an hour ago. Charlene couldn't blame them at all. She wasn't completely shaken about it, but she was pissed at him for making her sisters so scared. He was going to regret scaring her girls.

Stefan was already there, sitting across from them in the love seat. It was silent in the room for a little bit until Megan finally spoke up, her voice shaking a bit.

"I don't get it. What does he want with us? I thought it was just me he was after…but now he's after my friends too…why?" she looked towards Stefan, knowing he would have the answers she desperately needed.

"That's because we're predators, Megan. We hunt. We stalk. It's often as exciting as the kill."

"I know that part, Stefan, but why us specifically?" Megan asked again, but Stefan didn't have the answer for that one. "Do you think it might have something to do with us looking like Katherine, Demetria, and Abigail?"

"No." Stefan answered immediately. "That couldn't be it. All of the people who knew about them died in the church. It has to be something else."

Megan slowly nodded. "Yeah…your right…" she said, but there was a little hesitation in the voice. If Stefan noticed it, he didn't say anything. "I just wish we knew what he wanted…"

"Maybe he doesn't want anything." Charlene offered softly, rubbing Megan's shoulder gently. "Maybe it's just a game to him like Stefan said. He's trying to mess with our heads, and if we show how frightened we are, we're giving into his game."

Megan thought about it for a moment before she nodded, a confident look on her face. "You're right, Charlie." She sounded more surer than she had with Stefan as she straightened herself on the couch. "And we're not going to do that, right Elena? Charlene?"

"Right." Elena agreed, and Charlene nodded her agreement.

"Still, just in case, I want you to take this." Stefan pulled out something, and Charlene recognized it, making her wonder how he managed to get it from Damon.

"That's Jeremy's pocket watch." Elena voiced out loud as she took it from Stefan. "Why do you have it?"

"I took it from Damon, who took from Logan, who must have taken it from your house." Stefan explained.

Elena frowned as she opened up the pocket watch and observed the contents, confused. "What happened to it?"

"Well, it's not just a watch." Stefan started. "It's a sort of compass, but it points to vampires."

"It does?" Charlene asked.

Stefan nodded and took a hold of Elena's hands. He was showing her how the compass worked. Charlene peered over her sister's shoulder at the compass and watched as the needle whirled around on the compass before finally clicking into place, pointing at Stefan.

"Wow." Megan awed.

"Why did our father have it?" Elena glanced down at the watch.

"Gilberts were one of the founding families, and back in 1864, they were among those who sought to eradicate the vampires."

"I guess we can add that to the list of family secrets." Elena mumbled bitterly as she handed the compass over to Megan.

Stefan looked like he didn't know what to say to that, so Charlene changed the subject.

"So, did you know them?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Yes. I want you guys to keep it. That way, you'll know whenever you're ever in danger."

"And I'll be there too." Charlene added, and her sisters looked over at her. She gave them both a reassuring smile. "That vampire will regret ever coming to Mystic Falls."

Elena and Megan smiled as Charlene pulled them into a group hug. She was going to protect them even if it killed her.

* * *

Charlene and Elena returned home with Megan carrying all of their bags.

"You guys can help with the bags, you know?" she complained with a grumble.

"You were the one who offered!" Charlene reminded her.

"I didn't think you'd take me seriously!" Megan protested.

Before she could say anything else, Charlene spotted Jenna in the living room, dressed in cute 50s outfit. An awkward silence filled the air as Jenna met their gaze. Megan, obviously, felt it too as she coughed uncomfortably.

"Um, I'll take the bags upstairs." She said before quickly heading upstairs, leaving Charlene and Elena alone with Jenna. The silence broke when Elena spoke up as she crossed her arms.

"So…you're coming to the dance?"

Jenna nodded, smiling. "Alaric asked me to help chaperone."

"Well, that was nice of him." Charlene commented. Though it was still awkward between them, she was happy that Jenna found someone. He was definitely a lot better than Logan.

Her aunt's smile widened. "Yeah." She agreed as she walked around the couch to stand in front of it, crossing her arms.

Elena wasn't saying anything as she randomly picked up an apple, probably to do something so she wasn't just standing there. She was about to take a bite of it, but she paused, looking over at Jenna accusingly.

"Why didn't you tell us Jenna?"

Their aunt looked slightly startled by the sudden change of topic, but she shouldn't have been too surprised. It was bound to come up eventually. Jenna gave a sigh.

"Your mom was gonna do it eventually…" she said softly. "I never thought I'd have to."

"I know…but we need to know Jenna." Charlene told her.

"If mom was here right now, and we asked, she'd tell us the truth." Elena added.

Jenna stayed silent for a moment before she finally spoke, meeting both of their eyes. "Your dad was about to leave the office one night when these two girls show up. They were both sixteen and runaways, and about to give birth." She smiled slightly. The way she said made Charlene's heart skip a beat. "He delivered both of their babies, and gave them both a place to stay, but a few days later, they disappeared. And there was you, Charlene, and Megan were… your parents were trying so hard to have a baby and now they had three of them…but as much as they wanted to keep all three of you, they couldn't afford it…so they made the hard of decision of giving one of you up…and that's how Rudy Bennett got her."

Charlene didn't know what to say to that as Elena spoke up after thinking for a moment.

"Well, why were our parents' names on the birth certificate?" she questioned.

"Your dad was a doctor, Elena. He took care of it." Jenna said simply, then explained further. "They didn't want to lose either of you, so they kept it quiet, told as few people as possible, but if anyone ever wanted proof, they had documentation."

"Do you know anything else about them?" Megan's voice cut in, causing Charlene to jump in surprise, and they all looked over at her. "The girls, I mean?"

"Just their names, Isobel and Mandy…and there's something else too…" Jenna paused for a moment. "They were sisters."

Charlene shared shocked looks with Elena and Megan. That meant…they were cousins…

* * *

A while later, all of them were upstairs, getting ready for the dance. Charlene was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact her, Megan, and Elena were cousins. It was hard to believe…but Jenna hadn't been lying. It was true. She would have started talking about it with Elena and Megan, but she decided not to. Charlene was going to take it as it was and have fun at the dance and worry about it later.

Megan finished putting on her outfit and turned around, grinning as she showed it off. "How does it look?" she asked giddily while she slowly turned around.

"It looks great." Charlene answered with her own grin, meaning it completely. Her best friend had on a white puffy shirt with a hot pink poodle skirt and black flat shoes, and her hair was wild and curly like Sandy Olsson from one of her favorite movies, Grease. "And love the hair."

Megan beamed. "Thanks! I worked hard on it. Think Stefan will like it?"

"If he doesn't, he's a fool." Charlene told her, and her best friend grinned again.

"Good point."

Charlene smiled and looked towards Elena, who was blow-drying her hair in the bathroom. "You look good too, Lena." She complimented her sister.

For a moment, she didn't think Elena could hear her, but her sister gave a small acknowledging smile. Charlene smiled again and headed back into the bedroom. Her eye caught the sight of the compass laying on the bed. On closer inspection, the arrow on the compass was moving around. It already had been moving since Charlene was in the room but this time, it looked like it was freaking out from how fast it was moving.

Charlene instantly was worried. "Megan…" she called.

"What?" Megan asked, catching the concern in her voice as she came over to Charlene.

"The compass."

Megan's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as Charlene pointed over to the compass. Her best friend went over to the bed, picking up the compass. After seeing how fast it was moving, Megan looked up at Charlene, surprisingly not looking worried.

"It's probably just Stefan." She said simply and she grabbed her cell phone from the side table in Elena's room. She dialed Stefan's number before waiting for him to answer.

But listening closely, Charlene heard Damon's voice over the phone. "Stefan's phone. How may I help?"

"Damon?" Megan said surprised. "Why do you have Stefan's phone?"

"He's on his way to you. He forgot his phone."

"Okay, thanks." Megan hung up the phone before looking over at Charlene. "See? Told you it was Stefan."

Charlene still wasn't reassured. Suddenly, there was a scream coming from downstairs…a very familiar one.

"Elena!" She raced downstairs, using her vampire speed, not hearing Megan screaming her name.

Making it down to the living room, Elena was being grabbed by a man and she just knew it was vampire who Megan ran over. Charlene snarled and her face changed as she jumped in before the man could even think about biting Elena. She shoved the vampire hard into the wall, growling in his face. Charlene would have snapped his neck right then and there, or at least slam her hand into his chest and pull out his heart, just like she did Vicki. Before she could even do anything like that, the vampire retaliated and used his legs to kick her off and crash into the table in the living room. Charlene groaned for a moment, laying on the broken wood, then she tried to get up as she heard Megan.

"Charlene!" her best friend cried out, about to run over to her. Megan didn't get very far as the vampire jumped in front of her and she screamed in response.

"Megan!" Stefan suddenly appeared into the living room from the kitchen. He was about to pull the vampire off of her, but she beat him to it.

Megan used her powers to shove the vampire off of her, throwing him to the ground. She jumped to her feet and moved her hand outwards. Her eyes seemed to flash as the vampire fell to the ground, screaming and holding onto his head as she gave him a brain aneurysm.

"GET OUT!" Megan screamed, twisting her hand. It made the vampire scream louder in pain.

Finally, she stopped, and the vampire fell to the ground, grunting in pain. Stefan was about to go over there to the vampire but before he could, the vampire managed to get up and he vamp-speeded out of the house. Megan fell to her knees, exhausted.

Stefan ran over to her and gathered her in his arms. Megan buried her face into his chest as Charlene slowly stood up to feet.

"Char!" Elena exclaimed, running over to her as tears streamed down her face.

Charlene pulled her sister into her arms, squeezing her tight as she looked worriedly at the front door.

* * *

Megan sat on the couch with Stefan, her arms tightly wrapped around herself as her boyfriend had his arm around her shoulders. Charlene and Elena sat in the two chairs across from them.

Damon was with them now, pacing back and forth. They had told him what happened, and he immediately came over.

"How did he get in?" Damon finally asked after a few minutes of pacing.

"He was invited in." Megan responded quietly, rubbing her arms with her hands. Stefan looked over at her as he squeezed her shoulders. "He posed as a pizza delivery guy last night…I should have known something was up…I got a bad feeling from him when he came to the front door…how could I not know he was a vampire? The same one that caused my accident…"

"It's not your fault, Megan." Charlene said softly.

She didn't say anything. Of course, it was…if she had listened to her feelings like she should have…then the vampire wouldn't have been invited in and none of this would have happened. Megan turned her head and buried her face into Stefan's shoulder.

"Well, he gets points for that." Damon quipped.

"Not funny, Damon." Charlene scolded, but he ignored her as he spoke again.

"Did he say what he wanted?"

At this, Megan lifted her head and glared at him. "Oh yeah, he definitely had time to tell us what he wanted in the middle of attacking us!" she snapped sarcastically. She was already irritated, and Damon was not helping calm her irritation. At all.

Damon rolled his eyes, but he didn't say anything as Stefan took this as the time to speak up.

"And you have no idea who this is?" he asked his brother.

"No." Stefan looked unconvinced and Damon rolled his eyes again. "Don't look at me like that. I told you we had company."

"You think there's more than one?" Elena asked.

"We don't know." Damon sat on the arm of the chair Charlene was sitting on. He smirked over at her, but she ignored him.

"Damon, he was invited in." Stefan stated pointedly, causing Megan to glance at the two of them with her eyes narrowed.

Damon slowly nodded, and he seemed to know what Stefan was hinting at. "Then we go get him tonight." He looked at Megan, Charlene, and Elena. "You three up for it?"

"What do we have to do?" Megan asked wearily, not trusting whatever Damon had planned. Though she and Damon had an understanding now, she still didn't trust him, not after everything he did.

"Let your boyfriend take you to the dance and I'll take Charlene." Damon smirked over at Charlene, who looked horrified at the thought. "We'll see who shows up."

Charlene opened her mouth to protest, but Elena spoke before she could.

"Hate to disappoint you, Damon." She started, giving him a glare. "But Charlene's my date to the dance."

Megan stifled a laugh at the look on Damon's face. Elena didn't want him anywhere near Charlene and for good reason. Charlene gave Elena a grateful look and the brunette gave her a wink.

Stefan looked worried. "This is a bad idea."

"Till we get him, this house isn't safe." Damon pressed seriously. "For anyone who lives in it. It's worth a shot."

"As much as I hate to admit it, Damon's right." Megan said, and Stefan looked over at her. She met his gaze as she grabbed his hand. "We have to find him before he hurts anyone else. So, I'll do it. We all will." Charlene and Elena nodded in agreement. Stefan still didn't look convinced, causing her to squeeze his hand and she covered both of their hands with her free one. "We'll all be with the two of you. We'll be safe."

It didn't take too much long to convince Stefan it was a good idea, and they were now at the dance. Megan had her arm around Stefan's and Damon, Elena, and Charlene walked alongside them.

Megan couldn't help but look around. The party was in full swing, the song 'This Magic Moment' blaring around the room and everyone was dancing with no care in the world. Megan wished that was her, but it couldn't be. Not now, not until this threat was over and done with.

* * *

Alaric stood in the crowd at the dance, waiting for Jenna. He suddenly froze when he saw the guy who killed Isobel with Stefan Salvatore, Megan Bennett, Elena and Charlene Gilbert had entered the dance. Suddenly, there was a tap on his shoulder, and he turned around only to see Jenna standing there behind him.

"Alaric," Jenna said brightly.

Alaric looked her up and down and grinned. "Hey, look at you."

Jenna laughed. "I figured I'd stand out less if I dressed up," she said as she placed her hands on her hips, trying to found serious about what she was saying. But the grin on her face said otherwise.

Alaric chuckled, seeing right through it. "Liar." He teased.

Jenna's grin widened at him. "Okay, I'm a sucker for the decade dance." She admitted. "I went to school here, you know? They do sixties and seventies too, FYI."

"Oh, can't wait." Alaric teased, and Jenna giggled. "Can I get you a drink? I hear the punch is real boss." He was trying to sound cool, but knew he sounded ridiculous.

Jenna couldn't help but giggle and she nodded. Alaric smiled at her before they headed to the punch bowl.

* * *

Charlene stood by the punch bowl with Megan and Elena, who was playing with her earring nervously.

"It's going to be okay." Charlene tried to reassure her sister, grabbing her hand to bring it down and squeeze it. "We're going to find this guy."

Elena sighed as she squeezed her hand back. "I hope your right…"

Charlene hoped she was too as Megan wrapped her arms around both of their shoulders.

"We will." Megan sounded confident about it. "If he's looking for us, then he has to be here somewhere."

"We know that, but where?" Elena said, making it sound like a question as her free hand went back up to play with her earring nervously again.

Megan didn't say anything as she didn't know the answer to that. Before any of them could say anything else, Bonnie and Caroline came up to them and Elena changed the subject, smiling at the two.

"Having fun?" she asked.

"No, but this…" Caroline gestured down to herself with a grin. "Took two hours, so I'm at least staying half of that."

Charlene shared a grin with Megan. Only Caroline.

"What's Damon doing here?" Bonnie suddenly asked.

Charlene looked, finding the older Salvatore standing by Stefan. "Erm yeah…" she said as she turned back around. "For some reason, he wanted to come to the dance. I don't know why. I didn't ask, but he'll be on his behavior." At least she hoped so.

Caroline was still staring at Damon, her eyes narrowed. "So, what is this, like a fivesome now, you three and the Salvatore brothers?"

"Of course not!" Megan exclaimed, making a face. "That's disgusting." She shook her head. "Seriously though, if I'm going to be with Stefan, that means I have to tolerate his brother."

"And since Megan's my best friend, I have to deal with Damon being around." Charlene added.

"We like Stefan, and I mean come on, it's not like we can kill Damon." Elena said, taking a drink of her punch she just got.

Bonnie's eyes narrowed in Damon's direction. "There's a thought."

"Mmm. I'll help." Caroline smirked as her and Bonnie clicked their glasses together.

Charlene stifled a laugh while Megan burst out laughing. Though they were being completely serious, Bonnie and Caroline couldn't help but start laughing too.

* * *

"I'm really starting to see a change in Jeremy," Jenna said, smiling over at Alaric as they walked through the dancing crowd with cups in their hands as slow music played in the background. "Finally."

"Uh, losing someone you love so suddenly, the, uh—the trauma and the grief there are some of the tougher things you'll face in life."

"From someone who knows." As they stopped in front of a white screen that was playing 50s movie scenes, Jenna bit her lip and hesitated on her next words, but she decided to voice them anymore. "So, you have no idea what happened?"

Alaric shook his head. "That's the hard part…not knowing…" he said quietly.

"Is it okay to talk about your wife?" Jenna asked, hoping asking about her didn't bring back bad memories.

"There's not much to talk about."

Jenna looked at him sympathetically. "That must be impossible to deal with, not having any answers."

"I'd be lying to you if I told you it didn't keep me up at night. Wondering why…by who."

"Maybe someday." At least Jenna hoped for Alaric's sake.

Alaric nodded, "Hope so." He noticed Damon in the crowd with his arms crossed and his face darkened slightly. "Hope so…"

* * *

Bonnie and Caroline still stood by the punch bowl, talking and laughing with each other. Charlene, Megan, and Elena had gone off to meet back up with Stefan, leaving the two alone. The happiness died when Damon Salvatore came up to them.

"Hi Bonnie," Damon said with a smirk. "Wanna dance?"

Bonnie gave him a look of disbelief. Was he crazy? Bonnie rolled her eyes internally at her stupid question.

"I'm out of here." She muttered before she went to leave, but Damon blocked her with his body went to leave but Damon stopped her before she could go anywhere.

"Please give me another chance."

Bonnie didn't bother responding to him as she moved around Damon, walking away from him.

Caroline glared at Damon heatedly. "Back off Damon…." She warned. With one final glare towards him, she stomped off and followed after Bonnie, leaving Damon to stare after them.

* * *

As she along with Stefan, Megan, and Elena walked back up to the punch bowl. Charlene saw Bonnie and Caroline walking away, both of them clearly upset. Damon was there, and she just knew he had something to do with it. Charlene already had a glare on her face by the time they made it up there.

"What did you do?" she accused as she crossed her arms.

"What? I didn't do anything." Damon protested.

"Uh-uh." Charlene didn't believe him as far as she could throw him.

"I was perfectly polite." She opened her mouth to say something else, but Damon changed the subject before she could as he turned towards Elena with a smirk. "Elena, would you…"

Her sister didn't give him a chance to finish. "Oh, look there's Jeremy! I'll see you guys later!" She winked at Charlene before leaving to head over to Jeremy.

Charlene giggled in amusement.

Damon was still smirking as he turned to Megan. "Would you like to dance?" he asked charmingly, and Charlene rolled her eyes.

Megan leaned forward, smiling. "Oh, I'd thought you'd never asked." This caused Damon's smirk to widen as Charlene couldn't help but gap at her best friend, unable to believe she was serious. Stefan was shocked too, but her next words made them both realize she wasn't. "But I'm already taken." Damon had no time to say anything as Megan turned to face Stefan, smiling as she held out her hand. "Dance with me?"

Stefan smiled. "I thought you'd never ask." He teased and took her hand.

Megan grinned in response as she tugged him onto the dance floor, leaving Charlene alone with Damon. And the blonde just knew he was going to ask her to dance next. So, she tried to leave before he could, but it was too late.

"Charlene, would you like to dance?" Damon asked.

She gave a short laugh. "No, thanks." She moved to leave but he stopped her, grabbing her hand, and she looked over at him with a groan.

"Come on, Charlie, you know you want to." He said in a sing song voice and Charlene gave him an unamused look. Seeing it, he pouted. "Charlene, just one dance."

She stared at him, not believing she was actually contemplating even saying yes. Honestly though, what harm would it do? Charlene sighed heavily.

"Fine, just one dance." She relented, and he grinned as he started to tug her onto the dance floor. "Don't make me regret it…"

"Not possible. I got moves you've never seen." He said this as they got down onto the dance floor. What he did next shocked her as he suddenly dipped her down and brought her back up, their noses touching.

Charlene's breath got caught in her throat as she stared into Damon's eyes, which seemed to smirk at her. She felt herself blushing and she quickly looked away. Okay, maybe dancing with Damon wasn't the worse thing in the world.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Unpleasantville, Part 3...**

 **For the poll, Klaus is winning so far! Keep the votes coming!**

 **But before that romance, the Damon and Charlene romance is slowly coming back! We'll be seeing more of it in the upcoming episodes, especially when Damon finds out Abigail is not in the tomb! So, looking forward to that! Anyway, please leave reviews and tell me what you thought of the new chapter! Until next time on Surviving Vampires 101!**


	32. Unpleasantville, Part 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the second part of Unpleasantville! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

* * *

Megan smiled widely as her and Stefan danced to the music. She decided to try and unwind despite what was going on, but it didn't stop her from looking around for the vampire. However, she spotted something interesting while she was looking. Charlene dancing with Damon, and they were talking as they did. Her best friend laughed at something he said as she shook her head, rolling her eyes.

It was surprising to see but she couldn't help but smile as she watched them. They actually looked pretty cute together. Megan stopped staring at them to look back at Stefan, who was looking around for the vampire.

"You know it would be cool if you guys could sense one another?" she commented, causing her boyfriend to meet her gaze. "It would make finding this vampire a whole lot easier."

"It doesn't work like that." Stefan said, amused.

Megan rolled her eyes playfully. "I know, Stefan. That's why I said it would be cool. So much for vampire hearing." She gave him a teasing grin.

"Very funny." Stefan poked her on the nose.

She giggled. "I know I am." She said smugly, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Stefan shook his head before changing the subject. "Do you see him anywhere?"

"No, unless he's wearing this funny hat…oh what's it called…" Megan tried to think of it.

"A pompadour?" Stefan guessed, looking at the guy she was talking about.

She snapped her fingers. "Yeah, that's it!"

He laughed. "Wow. Not one of the better fashion trends."

"Oh, I'm sure you looked very handsome." Megan flirted, kissing the side of his mouth. "Please, tell me you have pictures?"

"No. Burned. Buried." Stefan grinned as she pouted at him.

"Are you trying to break my heart, Stefan?" Megan questioned dramatically as she brought on the fake tears and she wiped them away. He grinned down at her and she grinned right back, unable to keep up with the dramatics. "Speaking of the 50s, what were they like? Was it all varsity sweaters and milkshakes?"

"Well that, and you know, McCarthyism and segregation and nuclear arm races." Stefan added.

"But there were poodle skirts?" Megan asked hopefully.

"There were poodle skirts." Stefan confirmed.

" _Yess._ " She said in relief as her boyfriend spun her around, then pulled her back in, making her laugh. "You got some slick moves there. You're so teaching me the hand jive later." She teased at the end, and he shook his head immediately.

"No. That's not going to happen."

"Come on, just once?"

"No."

Megan groaned in response, then she pouted at him before resting her head on his shoulder as she closed her eyes in contentment, enjoying the closeness.

* * *

Jeremy was giving out punch to his fellow students when he heard a familiar voice coming from behind him.

"You neglected to mention this was a theme party."

Jeremy turned around and saw Anna, grinning at him. "What are you doing here?" he asked, confused.

"Well, seeing you as you also neglected to invite me, I took matters into my own hands," Anna explained, her grin widening just a bit more.

"You're doin' that thing again."

"What thing would that be?"

"The thing where you pretend, we're dating. Even though we're not." Jeremy answered.

"Oh, you mean stalking," Anna said pretending to have a look of realization on her face. "Yeah." She laughed at him, then she smiled. "Get over yourself. Come on…I've never been to a school dance before. Humor me."

Jeremy smiled back at her and slowly nodded.

* * *

Charlene stayed on the dance floor as Damon went to get them some punch. She honestly didn't want any, but he insisted on it and she didn't really feel like arguing about it. Charlene was shocked at how much she enjoyed dancing with Damon, and she had no idea why. She shouldn't have but she did…it was such a weird feeling. She didn't know if she liked it or not.

Damon returned, holding out the plastic cup filled with red punch. "Here you go." He said with a charming smile.

"Thanks." Charlene took it from him before taking a sip. She noticed he didn't have one. "Didn't want any punch?"

"I'm not a punch kind of guy." He answered with a shrug.

"Right." Charlene figured as much. She opened her mouth to say something more, but she wasn't able to as her History teacher Alaric Saltzman came up to them. "Hey, Mr. Saltzman." She greeted politely.

"Hi Charlene." Alaric turned his gaze to Damon. "I don't recognize you. How did you get roped into chaperoning?" He asked and paused, waiting for an answer. When he didn't get any, he spoke again. "Alaric Saltzman. I'm the new History teacher." He held out his hand.

Damon stared at it for a moment before shaking it. "Damon. Salvatore."

"Salvatore as in Stefan?"

"He's my little brother. I'm his legal guardian."

Pretty much, they seemed to forget she was even there. Charlene frowned. Instead of saying anything, she just left them alone to talk and went over to Jeremy to see how he was doing but he was busy talking to some girl, so she decided not to interrupt. Charlene didn't spot any of her other friends, causing her to just go back to where Damon was.

* * *

"You don't go to school here." Jeremy informed Anna as she handed stacks of plastic cups over to him. "You know, you don't have to help."

Anna smiled. "Oh, I don't mind," she said. "It's fun." Jeremy walked to the other side of the table to join her as she changed the subject. "Before I forget, can I borrow your ancestor's journal?"

"Why?"

"Because you said I could read it." Anna said stating the obvious.

"Uh, I don't have it," Jeremy told her as he sat down the three stacks of cups on the table.

"Oh, well obviously you didn't bring it here," Anna said with a nervous laugh, but he didn't notice. "But, uh, I can walk you home."

"No. I mean, I gave it to my history teacher."

Anna looked startled. "Wait…why did you give it him?"

"Because he wanted to read it," Jeremy told her like it was obvious, and it was.

"You know, you shouldn't be giving that to just anybody," Anna said in a serious voice.

Jeremy laughed. "But I should give it to you?"

"Loan. Loan it to me then."

"Well, I loaned it to Mr. Saltzman."

"Maybe he's in his classroom," Anna said adamantly. "We can get it back."

Jeremy leaned forward, looking at her annoyed "What's the big deal with the stupid journal?"

Anger bubbled through Anna as her face started to change, her eyes going red, something that Jeremy noticed.

"Your eye."

Anna quickly looked away. "Um, there's something in it…forget it. I gotta go." She rushed out of there and Jeremy stared after her, confused.

* * *

Time passed and Megan was still dancing with Stefan. The vampire was nowhere in sight. He could be hiding in the crowd, but she hadn't spotted him. However, nothing happened, and Megan frowned.

"Maybe he's not going to show up." She commented, turning her gaze back to Stefan. "If he was here, you would think he would have made a move already."

"You mean we did all this dancing for nothing?" Stefan teased.

Megan glared at him playfully. "Oh hush, you loved it."

He smiled and didn't bother denying it. Then he frowned, and Megan knew what he was thinking but she didn't say anything, deciding to just let him say it.

"I'm really sorry about all of this." He apologized softly.

Megan shook her head as she touched his cheek. "You don't have to apologize, Stefan. You're not making me do anything I don't want to do. I want to be here. So, I don't want to hear you apologizing anymore, because there's nothing to apologize for." She leaned in and kissed his cheek softly before pulling back to give him a smile.

Suddenly, the music picked up around them and Megan laughed at the look on Stefan's face as he looked around at everyone, who were picking up the pace of their dancing. Then she grabbed his hands and moved her hips to the fast music.

"Come on, Stefan, don't be such a stick in the mud, show me how its done in the 50s!" Megan pressed, grinning.

He shook his head, but she kept nodding her head insistently in response to every shake of the head he did. He shook his head one final time and Megan pouted.

"Fine, I give up." She tossed her hands in the air and she started to walk off the dance floor. She didn't get far as she let out a yelp of surprise when Stefan grabbed her hand and twirled her back towards him. Then he picked her up and dipped her on one side, then the other, holding her in the dip for a moment. Megan couldn't help but laugh joyfully as Stefan straightened them back up and placed her back on the floor. Before she could say anything, he grabbed her face and pulled her into a kiss with intense passion. It left her breathless. He pulled back with a grin, poking her on the nose.

"Now you remember that, because it's never gonna happen again." He told her.

Megan giggled. "We'll see about that." She smiled and they kissed again.

* * *

Anna walked down the dark corridor of the school, trying to find the school teacher's classroom. She stopped at the end of one and saw Noah, the man who attacked Elena, Charlene, and Megan. She vamp speeded over to him and he looked down at her with a devilish smile as she glared up at him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Trying to get the journal, as in sticking to the plan, something you're not doing." Anna sighed. "Leave the girls alone."

Noah's grin widened at the mention of them. "I like them." he said simply. "They look like Katherine, Abigail, and Demetria."

"They're not them." Anna reminded him. "Okay, they are in the tomb."

"I know, but until we get the tomb open, I got those girls to play."

Anna began to feel frustrated at the man in front of her. "Don't be stupid. Those girls are with the Salvatore brothers."

Noah scoffed. "They don't scare me," he told her. "They never have."

She gave him a pleading look. "Please Noah." She begged. "Don't do this. You're gonna ruin everything."

"You got nothing to worry about." Noah reassured Anna, but it didn't really work. "You will get what you came here for. Just let me have my fun." He then added as if this would help his cause, "They look like Abigail, Katherine and Demetria."

He walked off leaving Anna standing there, staring after him as she shook her head. He was going to get himself killed, not that she really cared. As long as he didn't ruin the plan, then it didn't matter if he died or not.

* * *

Charlene was back with Stefan, Megan, and Elena at the punch bowl, but she was mostly paying attention to Damon, who was back on the dance, dancing with another girl. Though she was scowling, she wasn't jealous. Not at all.

"You really can't take him anywhere, can you?" Elena asked amused as Damon and the girl glided across the dance floor, snapping Charlene out of her thoughts.

Stefan shook his head. "Uh, no."

Charlene opened her mouth to say anything, but she stopped when she felt Megan stiffen beside her. "What?"

"Look, the back corner." She whispered stiffly. "It's him…"

Stefan looked in the direction Megan was looking at and his eyes narrowed. "Get Damon."

The older Salvatore had disappeared, so they had to split up to find him. Charlene pushed her way through the crowd, ignoring their protests. He was nowhere in sight.

"Damon, where are you? Damnit…" she cursed under her breath. Suddenly, her mobile started ringing in her pocket, causing her to stop what she was doing. She looked at the caller ID and stiffened. It was an unknown number, and Charlene just knew it was the vampire. How he got her number? She had no idea, but it was probably the same way he got Megan's. Charlene answered, only because she wanted to get some answers.

"What the hell do you want from us?" she bit out. She heard him chuckle on the other end of the phone.

"So feisty." He mocked and Charlene glared even though he couldn't see it as she looked around with her eyes to find him. "Hello Charlene." She could hear the smirk in his voice. "Nice to see you again."

"What. Do. You. Want?" Charlene growled. "When I find you, you're going to regret you even messed with us."

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I was you. I'm sure you don't want any harm to come to Megan, Elena, and even your brother Jeremy."

Charlene stiffened at the threat. Now, her eyes were searching for her family and friends. Megan wasn't too far away, and Elena was right next to her best friend, so she was able to relax. But not for long as she spotted Jeremy by the punch bowl, all by himself now, and the vampire was standing near him with his phone pressed to his ear.

"What do you want me to do?" Charlene asked quietly, hating herself for even listening to what he had to say, but she couldn't let Jeremy, Megan, and Elena get hurt.

"There's an exit door behind you. You have five seconds, or I'm going to snap their necks, and I bet I can do it so fast there's not even a witness. So, I would start walking."

Charlene started moving as quick as she could. "Just don't hurt them, please." She said, thinking maybe that would help.

But he just ignored her plea. "Keep walking. Through the door."

Charlene decided to just listen keeping her mouth shut. She kept her eyes on the vampire, making sure he didn't touch either of them, but mostly Jeremy since he was closest to her brother. The vampire followed her, but he didn't lay on a hand on her brother. Charlene just knew he was after her now, so she quickly hung up the phone and ran through the exit door. She knew she was a vampire too and that she could fight him, just like she did last time, but she didn't want to risk it. Not now. But if he attacked her, then she wouldn't hesitate to attack right back.

She raced through the dark corridor, keeping a sharp eye on her surroundings to see if the vampire was following her. She couldn't see him as she found a set of doors and tried to open them, but chains kept them from opening. Charlene could have used her vampire strength to break them, but she just didn't want to bother with it. She turned around and there was the vampire walking calmly towards her. Charlene didn't stay as she used her vampire speed to burst through the doors of the cafeteria before she ran across the room to another pair of doors, but those were locked too.

This time, she was going to use her vampire strength to break the lock, but before she could, she heard doors slamming open behind her. Charlene whirled around and he was right there. Her eyes narrowed. He had her cornered now, but she wasn't going to let him get her without a fight. Charlene let her face change and growled at him.

He simply smirked at her before he charged at her at full speed. She didn't hesitate to do the same thing. They slammed into each other and she went to bite him, but he grabbed her hair and yanked her back, causing her to cry out. Using her hair, he tossed her onto a nearby table shattering it into a million pieces. She didn't stay on the ground for long as she vamp speeded up to her feet, grabbing a big piece of the broken table without him seeing while he started towards her again.

The vampire managed to get to her first and slammed her against the wall. Without hesitation, Charlene managed to stab him with the piece of the table into his stomach. He cried out and fell backwards to the ground. Charlene smirked but that fell when he pulled the stake out, making her back up into a mop bucket. She quickly grabbed the mop from the bucket and used her strength to break the mop in half to use one of the pieces as a new stake.

Charlene thrust the stake towards him, but he was quicker than her, so he grabbed it and stabbed her with it barely missing her heart. She gasped in shock. If it had hit her an inch closer, it would have killed her. The vampire went to attack her again but this time, Stefan was the one to stop him, grabbing him and tossing him to the ground.

"Char!?"

She heard Megan and Elena cry out her name as she ripped the stake out of her chest. Charlene managed to get to her feet when Elena and Megan pulled her into a hug. She hugged them back as she turned her gaze to Stefan and Damon. The vampire had already got back up to his feet.

"Hey dickhead." Damon greeted as the vampire looked up at him while he twirled a stake in his hand. "Nobody wants to kill you. We just wanna talk."

The vampire simply smiled as he charged towards Charlene, Megan, and Elena.

Megan didn't let him get that far as she used her powers to bring him to his knees as he cried out. "That's for crashing my car!" she said angrily.

Damon tossed the stake over to Stefan and he stabbed the vampire in the stomach. Megan released him as the vampire grunted in pain. Damon walked over towards where Stefan so they could interrogate the vampire.

"Now you feel like talkin'?" Stefan questioned.

"Screw you." He snapped. Stefan dug the stake in deeper and he groaned in pain.

"Wrong answer. Why are you doing this?"

"Because it's fun." The vampire managed a smirk.

In response, Stefan dug it in even more, making a squishing sound. Charlene felt Elena's body shudder against her at the sound of it.

"What do you want with Charlene, Elena, and Megan?"

"They look like Abigail, Katherine, and Demetria." The vampire replied simply.

So, Megan was right about him bothering them because of that. Did that mean the vampire knew about them?

"You knew them?" Damon asked, shocked.

"Oh. You thought you were the only ones." The vampire laughed, but it ended up in a gasp. "You don't even remember me."

Damon leaned over towards the vampire threateningly. "Tell me how to get into the tomb. Hmm?"

"No."

In response, Stefan leaned back down and shoved the stake even deeper until it was sticking out of his back.

"The grimoire." The vampire gasped out.

"Where is it?" Damon demanded.

The vampire gasped in pain as Stefan dug the stake in even more if that was possible. "Check the journal." He managed to say. "The journal. Jonathan's journal. Jonathan Gilbert's."

Damon stood up and grimaced.

"Who else is working with you?"

He didn't answer Stefan, so Damon tried. "Who else is there?"

"No. You're going to have to kill me."

Damon looked over towards Stefan and rolled his eyes, nodding as to give him the okay to do it. Stefan removed the stake from the vampire's stomach, and he waited for a moment before staking the vampire in the heart. Elena gasped in shock and Charlene tightened a grip on her sister. The vampire fell to the floor and began to desiccate.

"What do we…how are you gonna find the others now?" Elena asked, managing to get the words out.

"I know…" Charlene was the one to answer, rubbing her arm. "But it had to be done, Elena. He had to die. He was invited into our home. If we had let him live, he could hurt Jenna, or Jeremy."

Elena said nothing, but she knew that Charlene was right, which was why she didn't say anything.

Suddenly, they heard a door open and could see Alaric Saltzman coming through one of the door's windows. Stefan looked at Damon.

"Go. I got this."

The older Salvatore left the cafeteria, leaving them alone, thinking about what happened.

* * *

An hour later, Damon and Stefan stood across from each other from a double door that led into the hallway to two vending machines.

"There's no way that idiot was workin' alone," Damon finally said.

"You are." Stefan reminded as Damon grimaced at him. "So, the grimoire…that was Emily's, right? That's what you need to reverse the spell. When founding families burned her, they took her things, and you were hoping that dad's journal would tell you where it is."

Damon smirked. "Look at you puttin' the pieces together." He said. "Good for you. I was half-right. Well it's out there now." He paused dramatically for a moment. "Let the games begin."

"My offer still stands," Stefan told his brother.

"Yeah with some hidden caveats, no doubt."

Stefan shook his head. "No. Nothing hidden about it. No lies. No deceptions." He told Damon seriously. "I'm there when you open the tomb, you and Abigail go, and the other 26 vampires die. Including Katherine and Demetria."

"If I agree?"

"I'll help you."

Damon looked at him suspiciously. "And why should I trust you?" he questioned.

"Because I'm your brother," Stefan offered.

"No that's not going to cut it," Damon denied.

"Because I want you gone."

Damon paused for a moment, thinking about if this was an acceptable reason to trust Stefan. Then he finally nodded.

"Okay."

Stefan nodded back, sealing the terms to their agreement.

* * *

"Thanks, I needed that." Jenna said with a smile as Alaric walked her to the Gilbert home front door.

"Well, thank you for—for coming," he said. "I-I really appreciate it. You made the evening much more…well you made it, period."

Jenna couldn't help but smile at the compliment. "I'm glad I could help."

"Oh and thank you for pulling up with that wife talk, I-I got to stop doing that." Alaric chuckled. "It doesn't bode well for dating."

"Is that what it was, a date?" Jenna asked unable to help the grin that appeared on her face.

Alaric shook his head. "No definitely not a date."

She looked down at her feet in response. "Oh…" she said disappointed.

"But Friday…" Alaric went on with a grin. "You, me, dinner, and a movie, that could be a date. How about it?"

Jenna brightened up at that, looking back at him with a soft smile. "Works for me." She agreed. She laughed a little, "Uh, you can talk about your wife all you want." Ric chuckled. "It's going to take time to heal. We should just be ourselves."

Alaric nodded. "Still, I think I'll keep the Isobel talk to a minimal."

Jenna stiffened at the mention of the name 'Isobel'. She internally shook her head. There was no way Elena's mom, Isobel, was in relation to Alaric's wife, Isobel. There was just no way… but she still had to make sure.

"Isobel?" she asked.

Alaric nodded again. "Yeah." He said. "That was her name."

"Where was Isobel from?" Jenna questioned. This would answer her question…or not…

"From Virginia." Alaric answered. "I mean, not too—not too far from here actually." He didn't take notice to Jenna's weird expression on her face.

* * *

Megan was on the couch with Elena and Charlene. They were safe and sound at home now. Megan relieved to be back and that the vampire was finally gone. Stefan was in the kitchen making some tea. Megan had wanted some, but Elena and Charlene didn't.

Stefan returned to the living room with the tea and handed it to her.

"Thank you." Megan said, giving him a smile as she took it from him. He sat down next to her and she leaned into his side with a sigh, then took a sip of the tea.

There was silence for a little bit until Stefan broke the silence.

"I need to tell you three something." He said as Megan, Charlene, and Elena looked at him. "But I don't know how you're going to feel about it."

Megan sat down her tea and looked at him, concerned. "What is it?"

"I told Damon that I'd help him get into that tomb to get Abigail back. But it was a lie. I let him believe he could trust me."

"Well, why would you be worried about telling us?" Charlene asked.

"Because he can be very persuasive and you two have bonded lately." Stefan explained, looking at Charlene. Then he looked at Megan and she knew he was thinking about the trip to Georgia.

Megan shook her head. "That trip might have made me tolerate Damon more, but the fact still stands. It's going to take a lot more than a road trip to make me forget everything that Damon has done."

Stefan sighed. "I don't want to be his enemy, but I can't let him do it."

"And you don't have to." Megan reassured, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. "We'll help you in everyway we can, right girls?"

Charlene nodded. "Of course, we will. We can't let Damon get Abigail out of the tomb." Though she said the words, Megan could tell she hated saying them. If anyone would feel guilty about this, it would be Charlene despite it being the right thing to do.

Elena nodded too. "Yeah, I want to help too."

That confirmed, they stayed up a little longer and talked but soon they went their separate ways. Megan went back to the boarding house with Stefan, telling her friends she would see them in the morning.

* * *

Ben McKittrick exited the Grill and locked it up. He started walking down the sidewalk when he suddenly heard a noise. He was suddenly almost attacked but he attacked right back, vampire face and all, as he pushed Anna into the wall by the neck.

"Don't sneak up on me," Ben warned with a grin.

Anna laughed and pushed him off of her playfully. "You love it." She teased as she stood in front of him now.

Ben looked around for a moment before looking back at Anna. "Where's Noah?" he asked.

Anna rolled her eyes. "His obsession got the best of him, and so did the Salvatore brothers."

"They killed him?"

"Tortured and staked."

Ben's eyes trailed over Anna's face to see if there was any remorse but there wasn't any. "You're not very upset."

"I warned him Ben." Anna told him. "And he was just going to screw everything up anyway. To be honest, he wasn't exactly an asset." She changed the subject, looking at Ben seriously. "How did you do?"

Ben grinned. "Oh, the witch is totally crushing on me," he told her proudly. "Did you get the journal?"

"No." Anna answered, shaking her head. "But I know where it is, and I'll get it."

Ben smirked and kissed her. She kissed him back passionately. They broke away from the kiss after a while. Ben threw his arm around her shoulders and they walked down the empty sidewalk, ready to compete their plan.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Children of the Damned, Part 1...**

 **And the next episode is another favorite of mine! I just love everything about it, and hopefully the next chapter is a lot quicker than this one was. Anyway, please leave reviews and tell me what you thought! Until next time on Surviving Vampires 101!**

 **P.S. Klaus is still winning the poll! ;)**


	33. Children of the Damned, Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the first part of Children of the Damned, another one of my favorite episodes! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

And keep the votes for the poll coming!

* * *

 ** _1864…_**

A carriage carrying two men, Andrew and Roger, the driver and passenger respectively, drove down a dirty path, not thinking anyone would ruin their quiet trip but they were completely wrong.

Abigail Pierce looked up, hearing the wheels of the carriage, and had to hold back a smirk at the sight of the carriage. Putting her plan in action, she let out a fake sob as she hopped to her feet and started running to the carriage.

"Please! Please, help us!" The carriage came to a stop as Abigail made it there over there, her cheeks wet with tears and her eyes filled with panic as she began to plead with them.

"Please, my husband, he's been hurt! Please help him!" she cried in a panic.

One of the men, Andrew came out of the carriage and ran over to the man as the other one, Roger, got out of the carriage and stood before Abigail.

"What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?" he asked worriedly. "It's not safe."

"No." Abigail started to say with a smirk. "No, sir. It's not safe." She let her face change into that of a vampire and before the Roger could even let out a scream, she plunged her fangs into his neck and started to drink of him.

Andrew, who kneeled beside the woman's husband, turned around at the sound of screaming coming from behind. His eyes widened at the sight of Roger's dead body and quickly looked around for the woman, but she was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder, causing him to whirl around. The woman was right behind him and her eyes went red as she attacked, fangs slicing through his skin. She fed from while he screamed for his life. It wasn't too long until he was dead, and Abigail dropped Andrew's body like he was a lifeless doll. She smirked widely, her mouth covered with blood as she turned around.

"And that's how it's done," she said smugly to the man below her. It was Damon Salvatore, the oldest of the Salvatore brothers.

Damon stood up to his feet before glancing over at the bodies. "What happens to the bodies?"

"Well. I'll take them into the woods and the other animals will finish them off." Abigail explained. She frowned at the frightened look on her lover's face. "Are you sure you're ready for this? If you're not, tell me now."

Damon slowly nodded. "I'm ready," he told her causing the lovely smile to be brought to her face. "I want you to turn me."

Abigail reached up and touched his face, causing him to lean into her touch. "And I will, when it's time." She promised, and then she grinned. "Kiss me." She moved closer to Damon until her entire body was pressed against.

Damon pulled out a handkerchief from his coat pocket with flourish. He moved to wipe her mouth off, but Abigail stopped him, even though she thought it was rather sweet he wanted to do that. However, she had to keep the plan going.

Abigail kept a hold of his hand. "You need a taste." She purred, leaning in to kiss him, but he moved away from her. This made her frown.

"Sorry…" Damon apologized.

"Don't be," Abigail said, pressing a finger to his lips to silence him. She couldn't help but smile when Damon press a small kiss to her finger, she pulled it back as she continued to smile at him. "Soon, you won't be able to get enough."

This time he kissed her, hard and passionately. She moaned against his lips as her hands tangled into his dark hair while they continued to kiss passionately.

Unknown to the two lovers, in the dark woods watching them, was Abigail's oldest sister Katherine. She continued to watch her little sister and she smirked, seeing that her sister was working her magic with Damon. Everything was going according to plan.

 _'The time is almost near.'_ Katherine thought.

With one more glance at the two lovebirds, Katherine turned and walked away, deep into the wood.

 ** _Present…_**

Megan giggled as Stefan kissed the back of her neck while they lay in bed together. It was always so nice to just be with him like this. They didn't have to worry about anything and could just be with each other without a care in the world.

"Stop it…" she giggled, but she didn't really want him to stop as he continued to leave kisses on her skin. "That tickles."

"Never." He breathed into her ear, making her shiver as he bit playfully on her earlobe.

Megan rolled her eyes. "Fiiiiine…" she said playfully.

She turned around in his arms and leaned her head up, making him lean down to kiss her lips gently. Megan smiled into the kiss while her hands slid up to cup his cheeks and bring his mouth closer to hers. Soon, they pulled apart and she sighed happily, placing her head on Stefan's chest and snuggling close to him.

Stefan sighed into her hair as he buried his face in it. "Mm…I could get used to this…"

"Mm…me too…" Megan sighed again. A peaceful silence filled the air, and she hoped it stayed that way. But someone else had other plans.

"Rise and shine, sleepyheads."

Megan jumped, startled by Damon's voice. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, just staring at them.

"Damon, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Megan screeched, throwing a pillow at him but he dodged it. "Get out!"

"Looking good, Megan." Damon stated as he waggled his eyebrows at her, making her realize her tank top was showing.

Megan blushed furiously as she quickly covered herself up. "Shut up!" He burst out laughing and she glared at him.

But Stefan's glare was even harder that hers was. "What are you doing?!" he snapped, pulling the covers further up against Megan to make sure they covered her properly.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Oh, stop being smutty."

"Seriously, get out of here!" Stefan growled.

"If I see something I haven't seen before, I'll throw a dollar at it."

"Haha, hilarious!" Megan said sarcastically as she crossed her arms. "Will you just go and bother Charlene or something?" She knew her best friend would be mad at her for sending Damon her way, but she didn't care at the moment as she just wanted him out of here.

"As much as I would love to, I can't." Damon told her before changing the subject. "Because we have some very important business to discuss."

"And we have to it now? Really?" Megan asked in disbelief.

"Well, we have lots to do, now that we're all friends and working towards a common goal." Megan shard a look with Stefan but he didn't seem to notice as he stood up from the bed and turned around to face them. "So, in order to open the tomb, we need to find the journal to get the grimoire to undo the spells. First things first since your best friends with Charlene and Elena Gilbert, you're on journal."

"Why do I have to help?" Megan questioned, annoyed. "Your obsession with getting Abigail out of the tomb is your problem, not mine."

Damon, of course, rolled his eyes. "Well, Stefan's helping, and you've taken residence in Stefan's bed, ergo…"

Stefan ignored him as he looked over at Megan, putting his arm around her waist. "You don't have to anything you don't want to do." He told her.

"Yeah, I know." Megan shook her head and sighed. "Fine, I'll help but I'm not going to like it."

"As long as you, Elena, and Charlene find the journal, I don't care if you like it or not." Damon flashed her a smirk.

This made her groan, roll her eyes, and pull the sheets over her head. So much for a drama free day…

"How do we even know that this journal will hold the location of the grimoire? We're really going to take the word of this vampire? He seemed like a bit of a dimwit."

"In lieu of any other options."

Megan pulled the covers off her head and sat up suddenly. "Stefan's not wrong, he didn't seem very smart." She commented. "But if we are going to listen to him, what exactly is a grimoire?"

"It's a witch's cookbook."

"Every spell that a witch casts is a unique unto itself, so every witch would document their work."

"So, basically a spell book?" Megan knew what a spell book was, but she had never heard the word grimoire used before. That word sounded a lot cooler than calling it a spell book.

Stefan nodded. "Yeah." He changed the subject. "What about our mystery vampire? Dimwit obviously wasn't working alone, so whoever's out there knows who we are."

"And I don't like that disadvantage, so…" Damon clapped his hands together. "Chop, chop." He started to walk out of the room, turned around, and continued to walk backwards while talking to Megan and Stefan. "You know, I really like this whole menage a threesome team thing. It's got a bit of a kink to it." He chuckled, and Megan rolled her eyes while making a face. "Don't screw it up." He finally left the room and she breathed a sigh of relief as she looked over at Stefan.

"He doesn't…" Megan started to say, but stopped when Stefan put his finger to his lips, then to his ear, indicating that Damon could still hear them. "Oh…" she whispered. "Sorry…"

Stefan smiled and grabbed her hand, kissing the back of it. Then he let go of it to start getting out of the bed, but Megan stopped him as she tried to tug him back.

"No…" she whined. "Not yet…" She managed to pull him back into bed and kissed him deeply.

"We shouldn't…" Stefan mumbled against her lips.

"Shh…" she shushed him, grinning as she pulled back and pointed to her ear, like Stefan did.

Her boyfriend chuckled, and her grin widened as they kissed again. Megan pulled the covers over them while their kissing continued and led into something more.

 ** _1864…_**

Giggles could be heard from the under the covers of bed.

"What are you doing?" A squeal was heard as two heads popped up from the covers, revealing the two people to be Demetria Pierce and Stefan Salvatore. "Stop it!" Demi squealed again.

Stefan kissed the back of her neck. "Make me." He mumbled against her skin.

Demi flipped them over so now she was on top of Stefan. She bared her fangs to Stefan as her face changed. Stefan looked up at the beautiful but deadly creature above him with a sort of an awed expression. Demi smirked as she slipped her hands down his arms until she reached his hands, pinning him down. She leaned down to kiss him but was stopped by a knock on the door.

Demi's face changed back to normal. "Yes!" The door opened, revealing Emily as she looked over at the maid.

"Excuse me, Miss Demetria." Emily said politely, not looking fazed at all about what was going on in the bed before her. "Miss Pearl is here to see you, Katherine, and Abigail."

Demi nodded, but looked disappointed as she looked back down at Stefan. "I'll be down soon. Please ask her to wait." Emily waited to be dismissed. "Thank you, Emily." The maid nodded and left the room as Demi returned to looking down at Stefan with a pout on her lips. "Fun's over."

"I'll be waiting for you," Stefan said smiling at her softly as he cupped her face with one of his hands and brought her down for a kiss.

Demi hummed against his lips in contentment as they kissed deeply and passionately.

* * *

Abigail, Demetria, and Katherine managed to all fit on the steps where Emily and Miss Pearl were waiting at the end of the stairs. "It's good to see you Pearl." The three girls said in unison.

Peal nodded to them. "Perhaps we can talk outside?" she suggested, looking serious.

Abigail was the first to nod in agreement as the three girls walked the rest of the way down the stairs. "Emily." The blonde started off, turning to look at her and Katherine's maid. "Would you please tell Mr. Salvatore I have stepped away?"

Emily nodded. "Of course, Miss Abigail," she said politely. Then she looked to Demi. "Would you like me to tell Mr. Stefan Salvatore the same thing, Miss Demetria?"

Demi smiled, something that she didn't do that often. "That would be lovely Emily, thank you."

Emily nodded as she headed up the stairs while Demi, Abigail, Katherine, and Pearl went outside. It was a gorgeous day outside, not that they were paying attention to it much.

"How long do you three plan on staying with the Salvatores? People talk, Katherine." Pearl said seriously. "And your sister and your best friend carrying on with both of the brothers, doesn't help the situation."

"The Salvatores have been kind to take us in." Katherine said as they continued to walk. "As far as everyone here knows, we're poor orphan girls from Atlanta; lost their family in the fires." She faked a sad pout.

"A match you lit no doubt." Pearl said, making the brunette giggle. Then the older woman yelled to a girl in the distance. "Honey, please be careful!" Demetria, Abigail, and Katherine turned their heads only to see a girl with black hair walking over to a horse. The three sisters turned back to Pearl as the older woman spoke again. "Honoria Fell came by the apothecary yesterday with a case of this elixir." Pearl took out a small vial from her hand bag. "She asked that it be sold at a reduced rate."

Abigail looked confused. "I'm sorry but I don't follow."

"I don't either." Demetria added.

"Try it."

Katherine took it from Pearl, opened it, and sniffed it before holding out the vial to Abigail. "You try it, Abigail."

"Me?" Abigail questioned, surprised. "Why pray tell do you want me to try it?"

Katherine's eyes narrowed her youngest sister, not liking _not_ being listened to. "Because I said so," she said annoyed. "Now do it!" She barked.

Abigail knew better not to say anything. You never wanted to be cross with Katherine. She poured the elixir onto to her hand and yelped when it burned her.

"What in hell?!" Abigail cried in pain, shaking her hand.

"Are you alright?" Demetria asked concerned.

Abigail gritted her teeth together as she glared at Demi. "No, I'm not alright!"

"Pearl, what was that?" Katherine demanded.

"Vervain."

"Why is there ver…" Katherine stopped in her question and her lips went into a straight line as she realized why they put vervain in that elixir. "They know."

Pearl nodded, "They're trying to find us and they're getting craftier about it."

"The townspeople ingesting vervain," Demi said shaking her head in disbelief. "That's inconvenient."

Abigail shook her head too as she handed the vial back to Pearl.

"It might be time for us to move on again." The older woman commented, looking worried now.

Abigail immediately shook her head, "What? But we can't leave!"

"No," Katherine said, agreeing with her sister. "We like it here. And besides we're not interested in leaving just yet."

"But girls…" Pearl started to protest but stopped at the sound of her daughter, Anna's voice.

"Can we go mama?!"

Demetria, Abigail, and Katherine all turned to face Pearl's daughter, Anna. A concerned look crossed the young girl's face as she stared at them.

"Is something wrong?" Anna questioned.

"Nothing, nothing at all." Abigail gave the young girl a reassuring smile.

 ** _Present…_**

Anna sat on the bed of the hotel room her and Ben were staying in. Her phone was pressed to her ear. The person that she was calling didn't pick up, so she had to leave a message.

"Hey, it's me again. Anna. Stalker chick and foosball champion." She laughed before continuing, "I'll be at the Grill later, if you want, you know, a rematch, or whatever." She turned off her phone just as Ben came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his neck and another towel wrapped lowly around his waist.

"Who are you calling?" he questioned.

Anna didn't look up at him as she scrolled through her phone. "Jeremy Gilbert."

As he walked over to the window which was closed off by a curtain, Ben frowned. "You're not, like, into him, are you?"

"I need him for something, get over it."

Ben just made a noise at her and he tried to look through the window but ended up burning himself. "Dammit!" he cursed.

Anna chuckled. "Dude, you gotta stop doing that."

"I know," Ben said as he wrapped his towel that had been wrapped around his neck around his burnt hand. He made his way over to his side of the bed. "I just-I keep forgetting."

"You're new." Anna told him. "You'll get it."

Ben spotted something on the bed. "You found the Gilbert journal," he said as he sat down on the bed with book in hand.

"Does that look like the Gilbert journal?"

"Well, it's old and musty," Ben answered, looking through it. "And how am I supposed to know the difference?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "I don't know, I figured maybe, you've been paying a little bit of attention since we met." She stood up from the bed and started walking to a small refrigerator as Ben spoke up again.

"You know, you don't have to talk down to me." He told her, scoffing. "I'm not stupid."

Anna extracted a bottle of blood from the mini fridge and walked back over to Ben, sitting down at the end of the bed. "Here," she said as he took the bottle from her. "Drink it. I don't want you itchy around the witch. She can sense if you're weak."

Ben took a large sip of the blood in the bottle and he swallowed it, his face scrunched up as he examined the bottle. "When can we go hunting again?" he questioned. "This tastes old…I _want_ fresh blood."

Anna rolled her eyes. "When we get the tomb open, you can kill anyone you want," she told him. "For now, just stayed focused on Bonnie while I try and get the journal back from Jeremy's teacher."

Ben seemed to be thinking about something for a while until he finally spoke his thoughts out loud. "Why did you choose me?"

"I needed someone in a position to be my eyes and ears." Anna answered. "Small town bartender fit the bill."

"There are plenty of bartenders to choose from. Why me?"

Anna gave him a look of disbelief like he was supposed to know the answer to his question, but she decided to just humor him. "You were sad Ben." She told him. "You lacked purpose. You needed me."

He said nothing as Anna took the journal from him and settled back in bed, hoping Jeremy called her back.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Children of the Damned, Part 2...**

 **Please leave more reviews! I'd love to know what you think!**

 **And we'll be back with more scenes with Charlene and Megan next chapter! :)**


	34. Children of the Damned, Part 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the second part of Children of the Damned, another one of my favorite episodes! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

And keep the votes for the poll coming!

* * *

Charlene pulled out a drink from the fridge before turning towards Elena and Megan, who were busy looking for Jonathan Gilbert's journal in their family stuff. She felt a little better about doing this than she was before. Damon couldn't find it and get Abigail out of the tomb…but she still couldn't help but feel like she was betraying Damon. Charlene shook her head as soon as the thought crossed her mind again. She wasn't betraying him. This was the right thing to do.

Charlene took a sip of her drink as she headed back over to Elena and Megan, but she went to stand beside Stefan, who was there with them. She sat down her drink on the counter before she crossed her arms.

"Finding anything yet?" she asked her best friend and sister.

Megan heaved a heavy sigh at the question, running a hand down her face. "No. It's nowhere in here. Maybe you guys don't have it." She said the last part to Elena and Charlene.

"Well, Damon's convinced that we do." Elena commented. "We just have to keep looking, that's all."

"I guess so." Megan said, unconvinced.

Charlene said nothing for a moment. "By the way, do you think Damon really believe we're trying to help him?" she questioned softly, looking over at Stefan. She hoped he did, because it would be easier to lie to him if he did.

"I don't think Damon knows what to believe." Stefan answered, crossing his arms. "Trust isn't something that comes naturally to him."

"Well, he seems to trust Charlene."

She couldn't help but wince at what Megan said. She hoped that wasn't trust…but she knew deep inside that it was true. Now, she was feeling guilty all over again.

'Thanks Megan.' Charlene thought glumly, then she spoke again, changing the subject, well sort of. "It's sad." She said.

Megan's eyebrows furrowed at her, confused. "What is?"

"That Damon really does think everything he's done…has been for a love. I know that doesn't excuse what he's done…but it's just sad…" Charlene explained, and she felt Stefan's gaze turn to her, but she didn't meet his eyes.

"There's other ways to get what you want." Stefan added. "You don't have to kill people, or turn people against their will." She knew he was talking about her and Vicki.

"I know that, Stefan." Charlene told him. "I'm just worried…what if he finds out about us betraying him like this? You know how he is when someone breaks his trust…" If he found out, who knows what he would do… Charlene sighed heavily as she uncrossed her arms to grab her drink and take a sip again. She felt Stefan take a hold of her free hand. When he squeezed, Charlene looked up at him.

"He's not going to find out." Stefan said, and she believed him. Sort of, so she nodded. He let go of her hand before crossing his arms again and sighing heavily. "Damon has no regard for human life. He enjoys inflicting pain on others…for 145 years, every single time that I have let my guard down and let Damon back into my life, he's done something to make me regret it. I'm not going to make that mistake again."

Charlene said nothing, though she did have something to say about it. Despite his words, she knew he would. Damon was his brother, his family, and no matter what, he always would be. Family was something you will always have, even if you can't pick who they are.

"So, what do you think will happen if the tomb gets opened and Damon gets Abigail back?" Elena asked curiously.

"I think that no matter what Damon promises, a lot of people will die."

"That's comforting, Stef." Charlene said under her breath, sarcastically.

"I found something!" Megan announced, getting everyone's attention. She held up an old picture.

Stefan moved to get a closer look. "That's Jonathan Gilbert."

Wanting to look too, Charlene went over and took the photo from Megan, gazing down at it. She could sort of see the resemblance between Jonathan and Jeremy.

"What's this?" Elena suddenly asked. She had a wooden box open, and showed everyone what was inside.

"Whoa." Megan said, her eyes slightly wide as she reached in and picked it up. "It looks like a muzzle…why would something that this be in here?" She looked up at Stefan, thinking he would know the answer, because it looked like he recognized it. He didn't have time to explain as Jeremy came into the room.

"What are you guys doing?" he asked.

"Hey." Elena greeted before explaining, "Just going through some stuff, feeling sentimental. Dad had this old journal from years ago. I thought I'd dig it up."

Jeremy sat down on the kitchen counter. "Jonathan Gilbert's journal?"

"Yeah?" Charlene looked at him, surprised. "How do you know about it?"

"I just did a history report on it."

Megan spoke up. "Um, where is it now if you don't mind me asking?" she asked casually, trying to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal, but of course, it was.

"I gave it to Mr. Saltzman." Jeremy answered. "He wanted to see it…why are you trying to find it?"

Charlene shrugged. "No reason, just thought it would be interesting to look at, that's all." She told him.

Jeremy stared for a moment before shrugging and leaving the kitchen. There was silence but it didn't last long as Megan spoke, looking a bit nervous.

"Well, this isn't good."

That was an understatement.

"I'll be back." Stefan suddenly said. He left before any of them could say anything, but he didn't have to explain what he was doing.

He was going to get the journal back from Alaric Saltzman.

* * *

Alaric Saltzman sat at his desk in Mystic Falls High School with the Gilbert journal right in front of him. He stopped at an entry and silently read it to himself.

 _'I met Barnett and Giuseppe this evening. I saw the skepticism in their eyes when I showed them the compass…'_

 ** _1864…_**

Giuseppe Salvatore, Barnett Lockwood, and Jonathan Gilbert all stood in Giuseppe's office, discussing the compass that Jonathan created.

"We're supposed to believe that can track one of them?" Giuseppe questioned in disbelief, looking at the compass in Jonathan's hand.

"What is it, magic?" Barnett asked curiously.

"It's science." Jonathan corrected.

Barnett crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Wanting to keep an a from starting, Giuseppe changed the subject. "I've been thinking about this church idea." He said seriously. "I really think that it could work."

Before anyone could say anything more, Stefan Salvatore entered his father's study, and all three of the adults turned to look at him. Once they looked, he shifted awkwardly on his feet.

"Excuse me, father, I didn't know you had guests." Stefan apologized.

Giuseppe nodded at him. "We'll be done in a few minutes, son."

Stefan nodded back. "I'll come back," he said. He looked at Barnett and Jonathan, "Forgive me, Mr. Gilbert, Mr. Lockwood." He closed the door leaving them alone once more.

"Have you told them?" Jonathan asked, looking at Giuseppe.

Giuseppe shook his head. "Not yet."

Jonathan looked at him seriously. "Giuseppe, we need all the men we can get."

"I'll tell them." Giuseppe reassured his guests. "You can count of both of my boys."

 ** _Present…_**

Alaric was making copies of the journal for himself. He went to his locket and put the copies in it before heading back to his office. Unknown to him, someone was following him. After returning to his classroom, he threw the journal on the desk before sitting back in his seat and going back to grading papers. Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from the classroom door and he looked but didn't see anything.

"Hello?" Alaric called. He got out of his desk to check it out, and he looked out in the hallway but didn't see anything. "Hello? He didn't say anything, so he went out into the hallway and tried again. "Someone there!"

Slowly, he started to walk down the hallway when suddenly he heard something from behind him and he rushed into the teacher's lounge to get to his locker and pulled out a duffel bag. He opened it up quickly taking out a long blow dart gun, which had been modified to use wooden stakes. He put a stake inside and he cocked the gun before walking back to his classroom. Before entering, he pressed himself against the wall in the corridor, next to the classroom. Swiftly, he turned into the doorway, pointed the gun, and shot the stake out.

But Stefan Salvatore caught it before the stake could even hit him. His student stared at him, and Alaric began to load another stake into the gun as Stefan watched him. He looked down and cocked the cock, moving towards the doorway as he did so. Before he could do anything, Stefan vamp-speeded around him and blocked his way. Alaric looked at him, startled, as he grabbed him by his shirt.

"You shouldn't have done that." Stefan growled as he pushed Alaric hard at the chairs that immediately fell once the teacher hit them. Alaric scrambled off from the ground and grabbed a hold onto a desk that didn't fall. "Have a seat." Slowly, Alaric sat down in the desk keeping his eyes on Stefan. "What is this? Compressed air? Did you make it yourself? Who are you?" Seeing the frightened look on Alaric's face, Stefan sighed. "I'm not going to hurt you…unless you try that again." He handed Alaric back the gun before he picked up one of the desks that had fallen down and settled himself on it before speaking again. "Now…who are you?"

"A teacher."

"Are we going to do this hard way?"

Alaric hesitated for a moment before he sighed. "I'm also an historian…" he said. "And while researching Virginia, I—made a few discoveries about your town."

"So, you show up like Van Helsing." Stefan said, not believing him for a second. "Come on…tell me the truth."

Alaric sighed. "My wife was a parapsychologist. She spent her life researching paranormal activity in this area. It was her work that led me here."

"Where's your wife?"

"Dead." Alaric said in blunt voice. "A vampire killed her."

"Where's the Gilbert journal?" Stefan questioned.

Alaric raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you want with it?"

"Where is it?" Stefan repeated.

"It's on my desk," Ric answered.

"No, it's not."

Alaric looked and sure enough it wasn't there as he looked back at Stefan. "It _was_ on my desk."

* * *

Anna was reading the Gilbert journal. She had managed to get it. As of yet, she didn't find anything of importance.

"Anything yet?" Ben questioned from his spot on the ground in front of the TV, tying his shoes.

Anna shook her head, her eyes still on the journal as she flipped through the pages. "Not yet. Just a lot of gibberish." Ben got up from the ground and made his way over to her as Anna continued, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, some people shouldn't journal."

Ben put his hands on the desk that Anna was sitting in, looking at the journal. "I thought this Gilbert was the brains."

"Don't you have a date?" Anna questioned annoyed, looking at him. She hated when people stared over her shoulder like he was doing.

Ben nodded. "Yep," he said. "Wish me luck." He leaned down to kiss her but stopped when she pushed him away.

He looked at her with a hurt expression, but she didn't notice as he left the hotel room. Anna found something interesting in the journal that shocked her to no end…

 _'I saw her again today—the most beautiful woman in town, with a name just as pretty…Pearl.'_

 ** _1864…_**

Demetria, Abigail, Katherine and Pearl all stood in a store.

"Have you girls thought more about what I said?" Pearl questioned, looking at all three of the girls.

Abigail nodded, "Yes Pearl we have."

"We'll leave soon Pearl, I promise," Katherine told her friend.

Demetria grinned as she nudged Abigail in the side. "Abby and I need to take care of few things first."

Pearl's eyes widened slightly when she realized what Abby and Demi planned on doing. "You two are going to change the Salvatores, aren't you?" she asked, hoping that she was wrong.

Abby and Demi nodded.

"Unfortunately, we have to," Abby told the older woman.

"Girls, please, be careful." Pearl said looking at them pleadingly.

"We'll all be safe," Katherine reassured. "I promise."

Suddenly, Demi grinned when she noticed Jonathan Gilbert standing outside of the store. "Mr. Gilbert's coming," she told Pearl. "Quick, your cheeks." She squeezed them gently and after she was done, she smiled at Pearl. "There…perfectly rosy."

Jonathan came into the store, his eyes still on Pearl's face, "Miss Pearl…may I have a moment?"

Pearl nodded as she turned to face him. "Yes Mr. Gilbert," she said going over to him until she was standing in front of him. Abby, Demi, and Katherine watched her as she smiled at him brightly. "I'm still waiting for you to explain that comet in the sky."

They both left the store and Katherine looked over at Anna, who was standing across from them, and smiled. "Your mother has an admirer."

Anna smiled as she nodded.

* * *

"As descendants of the founding families, they'll want to know that they can count on you." Giuseppe said as he and his sons walked together across their property.

Stefan nodded, looking at his father. "Of course, they can. Is there any doubt?"

"I'm not sure your brother Damon understands the duty of importance," Giuseppe said calmly, not noticing the way Damon's face tightened at the insult.

Stefan noticed the look on his brother's face. "Damon left the Confederacy on principle." He said, standing up for his brother. "It was his choice and should be respected."

Giuseppe glared at his youngest son. "You'll forgive me if I have trouble respecting a deserter."

Damon's jaw clenched. "Well, I never asked for your respect!"

Giuseppe stopped walking and whirled around to face his son, glaring at him now. "Good for you Damon." He growled. "Because all I have is disappointment."

"You said the town is in trouble?" Stefan quickly changed the subject.

The glare disappeared from Giuseppe's face and was replaced with a serious look. "There have been too many deaths. It is time for us to fight back…stop these killers."

Stefan pretended to be confused. "Killers? What do you mean?" he questioned.

"We live amongst demons," Giuseppe replied bluntly.

"Your being cryptic now, father," Damon said, snappishly. "Why don't you just say the word?"

Giuseppe just stared at his son for a moment. "Vampires." Stefan and Damon shared a look before looking back at their father as he went on. "They exist. And they live amongst us. But we have a plan to kill them."

Damon and Stefan pretended not to be fazed by this news but on the inside, they were freaking out, Damon more so than Stefan.

"And you're going to help us," Giuseppe added, looking at both of his sons.

 ** _Present…_**

"Hello Charlene."

Charlene blinked, shocked to see Damon in her house, chatting with Aunt Jenna, who didn't seem to be bothered by him being here. Then again, her aunt didn't know Damon as well as she did.

She tried not to be bothered as she sat down her bag. "Er, hi." She forced a smile. It felt awkward being around him, knowing what she, Megan, Elena, and Stefan had been doing. Charlene didn't think she would seeing him anytime soon and she was happy about that, so she didn't have to feel the guilt seeping in.

"Hey, where have you been?" Jenna asked, breaking her out of her thoughts. "We're cooking dinner."

"Just out with Megan." Charlene answered, trying not to look bothered by Damon's presence.

"Is Stefan with her?" Damon asked as he cut up some tomatoes.

Charlene avoided his gaze. "Yeah…both of them will be over soon…" She turned around to go over to the fridge, and she could feel Damon's gaze on her but she just ignored it.

* * *

"How long have you've been aware of me?" Stefan asked. He and the History teacher were still in the classroom, talking.

"I just learned recently." Alaric responded. "What about your brother?"

"You met Damon," Stefan said with a nod of his head.

Alaric's eyes darkened in sadness. "Who do you think killed my wife?"

"Are you certain it was Damon?"

Alaric nodded. "I witnessed it."

Stefan regarded Alaric seriously. "If you're here for revenge, this is going to end badly for you." He told him.

"I just want to find out what happened to my wife."

This statement confused Stefan. "I thought you just said Damon…"

Alaric interrupted him before he could finish. "Yeah…" He didn't meet Stefan in the eye as he continued, "I saw him draining the life out of her. He must have heard me coming because he just disappeared…" Alaric met Stefan in the eye again. "So did her body. They never found her."

"Damon can never know why you're here." Stefan told Alaric after a moment of contemplating what the teacher said. "He'll kill you without even blinking."

"I can take care of myself."

Stefan scoffed in disbelief. "No, you can't. I can help you. If you let me."

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Children of the Damned, Part 3...**


	35. Children of the Damned, Part 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the third part of Children of the Damned, another one of my favorite episodes! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

And keep the votes for the poll coming!

P.S. This chapter is now the longest to date

* * *

For the most part, Charlene tried to just ignore Damon as they were in the kitchen together, thinking it would help the guilt go away. It didn't since she could still feel his gaze on her. Charlene moved around Damon to try and set the table for dinner, and he purposely bumped into her, luckily not making her drop anything.

"Whoa." Damon smirked down at her as she looked up at him. Charlene backed up a bit since he was little too close for comfort, but of course, he wasn't bothered by it. "Mmm…"

Charlene simply rolled her eyes and she tried again to move by him, managing to do so. "Do you mind not doing that? Seriously." She said, not bothering to hide the annoyance in her tone of voice.

"Do what?" he asked, acting all innocent.

"You know what I'm talking about, Damon." Charlene responded, crossing her arms and staring at him. "You deliberately bumped into me."

"Well, yeah, I was deliberately trying to get to the sink." Damon told her, shrugging. Charlene wasn't amused if the look on her face was any hint and he gave her a look. "Come on, Char, you really need to learn how to take a joke. Don't be so serious _all the time_."

"I'm not serious all the time." Charlene protested as he went over to the boiling pot of water on the stove, starting to stir it with the spoon already inside of it. "You're just not funny."

"What? I'm _hilarious_. I'm hurt." Damon pouted dramatically, placing his hand on his heart. Charlene rolled her eyes and he smirked, causing her to shake her head. There was a pause until he spoke again. "Speaking of Stefan, where is he? He's missing family night, which I am enjoying immensely." He smirked again.

Charlene came back into the kitchen to gather more stuff for the kitchen. "I told you, he's with Megan." She said shortly, not getting into it any further.

Something Damon noticed, so he changed the subject. "Is it real?"

Charlene froze a bit. "Is what?" she asked, pretending to not know what he was talking about.

"This renewed sense of brotherhood." He took the spoon out of the pot and took a taste of the pasta. "Can I trust him?" He glanced over at her.

She knew she should have been keeping eye contact with him, so he knew she wasn't lying but she couldn't maintain it as she much as she wanted to. "Of course, you can, Damon."

Charlene quickly moved away from Damon, smacking herself mentally in the head. God, she wouldn't believe her either if she was him. Taking a breath, she turned around and found Damon right in front of her, making the breath she took getting caught in her throat.

"Can I trust him?" he repeated, staring deep into her eyes.

Charlene swallowed hard and this time, she met his gaze head on. "Yes Damon, you can trust him. If you can't trust your family, who can you trust?" she questioned softly.

He didn't say anything, but it didn't last long. "What about you? Can I trust you?"

Charlene was taken back by the question, causing her to swallow hard again. "You can trust me." She told him with a forced smile, but luckily Damon didn't seem to notice. Before he could say anything else, she quickly went into the dining room to finish setting up the table.

* * *

 ** _1864…_**

"You can trust us, Mr. Salvatore, we would never cheat." Katherine said with a smirk. Her, Abigail, and Demetria were playing bridge with Giuseppe, and they were winning.

Abigail cheered in victory as she knocked one of the balls into one of the 'n' shaped thing in the ground.

"I'm losing over here!" Giuseppe called to his sons, who had just come up, grinning. "Again!"

Abigail gave Damon a wink as she curtsied to him and Demetria did the same thing to Stefan. They returned to the game as Stefan and Damon watched on.

Damon shook his head slowly. "They're good." He said as he kept his eyes trained on his lovely blonde. "I almost believe they genuinely like him."

"Perhaps they do." Stefan told his brother, keeping his eyes on his beautiful Demetria.

Damon laughed in disbelief. "They know that father would have them killed if he knew the truth."

Stefan shook his head, not believing in what Damon was saying. "Not if we talked to him," he said looking at Damon. "Explain how we feel…he could help us keep Abby and Demi safe."

Damon turned to face his brother. "Have you've gone mad? No, no, Father would drive a stake in both of their hearts himself."

"That's not true." Stefan protested. "We can trust him."

Damon shook his head immediately. "No, no, not with this." He placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, looking at him seriously, "Please, promise me you won't tell him, Stefan."

Stefan sighed and nodded, "I promise."

* * *

 ** _Present…_**

"There was a time when I trusted him more than anyone." Damon said as she returned to the kitchen.

They were still talking about that? But she pretended not to be bothered by it.

"Maybe you can trust him again." Charlene told him after a moment of not saying anything. "But you have to give it to get it."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Are you lecturing me?"

"No…unless you need to be lectured." Charlene joked with a teasing smile on her face, placing one hand on her hip since she held a bowl in the other.

"I just want her back." This statement made the smile fall from Charlene's face. "I'm sure you can understand that."

She nodded sadly. "Yeah…I understand that you would do anything for her…" she said quietly.

However, she didn't get why he would wait for her this long from the way he talked about her, it made her sound like a bitch. But she didn't say this to Damon, knowing he wouldn't have a good reaction to it. Charlene tucked her hair behind her ear before setting the bowl on the table, but she stiffened afterwards as she felt Damon against her back.

"Then you understand what I will do if anyone gets in my way." Damon threatened, whispering in her ear.

Charlene barely nodded. "Trust me, I know all too well." She breathed as she turned her head to look at him, their faces close together.

Damon didn't have a reaction to them being so close, but Charlene did as she gulped and if she was still human, she would be blushing like a school girl. He stared at her, taking a moment to glance down at her lips. For a moment, Charlene wanted him to kiss her. The moment faded as Damon walked away from her.

"What was that about?"

Charlene jumped at the sound of Elena's voice as she turned to face her sister. Megan was there too, standing behind Elena. "Nothing…" she said quickly. "Nothing important…" She said nothing else on the subject as she went back into the dining room to finish setting up for dinner.

* * *

After dinner was over, Damon and Jeremy sat on the couch in the living room, playing a video game.

"You said you never played this thing before." Jeremy said impressed.

Damon smirked as his eyes stayed on the TV screen. "I'm a fast learner," he said. "Quick reflexes."

Jeremy's phone started ringing. Jeremy grabbed and checked the caller ID only to see that it was Anna calling. He tossed the phone to the side before going back to the game.

"Who are you dodging?"

"This girl Anna," Jeremy replied. He rolled his eyes, "She can be, uh, persistent."

"Is she hot?"

Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, but she can be weird."

"Hot trumps weird trust me." Damon told Jeremy.

* * *

Megan stood with the Gilberts, helping them clean up the dinner plates. Stefan was still gone. So, she hoped everything went okay with Mr. Saltzman.

"He's ridiculously hot." Jenna whispered, not quietly at all. Knowing Damon as well as they did, Megan knew he had heard and was smirking.

"But his attitude is not." Megan said loudly, knowing he would hear it.

"Not to mention, he's an ass." Elena added.

Charlene placed a plate down in the sink. "An annoying one, to be exact."

Megan laughed, grinning over at her best friend. "Not the best insult, but it works." She joked as she nudged Charlene in the side, making her friend smile, before she made her way over to help Elena continue to look through the box of stuff.

"What are you doing with all that stuff?" Jenna asked curiously.

"I thought there might be something about my birth parents." Elena answered, half-way lying.

"Have you told Jeremy yet? About you guys being adopted?" Jenna questioned, looking at both Elena and Charlene.

"We will." Elena told her.

"But there just hasn't been the right time to tell him." Charlene said softly. "So, when there is, we'll tell him."

"Exactly." Elena agreed, closing the box. Just then, the doorbell rang, and Megan perked up.

"That's Stefan." She announced. She headed to the door as Damon quickly got up from the couch. Jeremy watched him go, agitated.

"Dude!"

Megan opened up the door with Damon right behind her. Stefan looked at Damon, confused to why he was here. When he looked over at her, Megan shrugged in response. She honestly didn't know why he was here as he was already here when she came back.

"Well?" Damon said with an expectant look on his face.

Ten minutes later, all of them were gathered on the front porch, so no one could over hear their conversation.

"Who took it?" Damon asked, sounding more demanding this time.

"I don't know." Stefan responded. Megan knew he was lying, but of course, she didn't say anything, because she figured he would tell her, Elena, and Charlene later without Damon there.

"You know what, it's that teacher. There's something really off about him."

Megan rolled her eyes. "You say that about everyone, Damon. He seems perfectly nice."

Damon ignored her as Stefan spoke up, shaking his head.

"No, he doesn't know anything. Someone got to it right before me."

"Who else knew it was there?"

Stefan looked to the window and Damon followed his gaze to Jeremy on the couch. Megan knew what he was thinking, and Charlene did too as the blonde stepped in front of him as soon as he took a step forward.

"Damon, don't you even think about it." She growled lowly, pushing a hand against his chest. "Leave him out of this."

"Why? What's the big deal?" Damon asked, pushing Charlene's hand away and quickly moving by her before she could say anything else.

Charlene groaned as he headed into the house and she quickly followed behind him along with Megan, Elena, and Stefan.

Damon sat down on the arm of the couch to speak with Jeremy, who was enamored by the video game he was playing. "So…I heard you found a really cool journal from back in the day. Who else did you show it to?"

"Huh?" Jeremy mumbled, not really paying attention.

"Don't ask questions, just spill."

Jeremy finally looked at him, chuckling in disbelief. "You're kidding me, right?"

Charlene placed a hand on Damon's shoulder, stopping him from say anything else. He glanced at her hand, then at her, but she didn't to notice his staring.

"Jer, please." Charlene told him as her brother looked over at her. "It's important. Did you tell anyone else about the journal besides Mr. Saltzman?"

"Why is everyone so obsessed with that thing?"

"It's the new Twilight." Megan joked, getting a look from the rest of the group. She smiled sheepishly. "What?" She cleared her throat and changed the subject back to the journal. "So, who else did you tell, Jeremy?"

"Just that girl Anna."

"The hot, weird one?"

"Yeah."

"Wait, who's Anna?" Stefan asked, confused.

Damon rolled his eyes, annoyed. "That's what I want to find out." He turned his attention back to Jeremy as Elena's phone started ringing.

Elena left to go answer it while Megan and Charlene stayed with Stefan and Damon.

"How do you know her?"

"I just know her." Jeremy put down the game controller and leaned back against the couch. "She wants me to meet her at the Grill tonight."

"Perfect. I'll drive. Come on." Damon pulled him off of the couch and dragged him off, ignoring his protest.

Charlene watched them leave the house, frowning deeply.

"If your worried, go with them." Megan told her best friend, grabbing her hand to get her attention. "We got it from here."

The blonde said nothing for a moment. "Okay, but I'll be back." She promised as she squeezed Megan's hand. Giving them one last smile, she quickly followed after Damon and her brother.

Megan turned to her boyfriend. "So, what did you find out?"

He nodded upstairs and they went up, going into Elena's bedroom where Elena was.

The brunette noticed that Damon and Charlene were nowhere in sight. "Where's Damon and Charlene?"

"He left to track down Jeremy's friend Anna, see if anything's there, and Charlene went with him to make sure he doesn't hurt Jeremy." Stefan said.

"Aren't you going to go with him too? If he gets the journal before we do…" Elena trailed off as Stefan spoke up.

"Doesn't matter." He said as he pulled out a stack of paper.

Megan's eyebrows furrowed. "What are those?"

"It's a copy of it."

"Really?" Megan took them from him, skimming through them. "How did you get him to give these to you?" She looked up at her boyfriend.

"He was kind enough to loan it to me."

Megan smiled in amusement. "You threatened him, didn't you?"

"Not exactly, but I got it."

She shook her head, laughing softly.

* * *

Charlene entered the Grill, looking around for Damon and Jeremy. When she had managed to get outside, they were already gone, so she had to vamp speed over there.

It didn't take long to spot him and Jeremy, and luckily, they were far away from each other. So, she probably didn't need to be here anyway, but she felt better knowing her brother was safe.

But since she was here, she might as well get a drink. Anything to get the edge off of lying to Damon. She shouldn't feel bad for lying to him as they couldn't let the tomb be open, but still. She hated being the type of person who still felt bad even if she was doing the right thing.

Sighing, Charlene went up to the bar and ordered a drink, and yes, there was compulsion involved since that was the only way to get it. She took a long drink of her bourbon, which she decided was her drink of choice now. After the drink was down, she sat down her glass and licked her lips.

"Are we babysitting me now?"

Charlene glanced over and Damon was sitting beside her, smirking of course. She rolled her eyes.

"If you mean making sure you don't hurt my brother, then yes." Charlene told him.

"I'm not going to hurt him, Charlene, not when I need to get information from him." Damon smirked again, and she shook her head. "Not that I'm complaining, there's nothing better than a hot babysitter."

Charlene couldn't help but roll her eyes again. "Nice, you're flirting with me even when we're trying to get your ex vampire girlfriend out of a tomb, how typical."

"Got to keep myself busy somehow." Damon smirked, snatching her drink before she could protest. He took a drink, then sat it back down. "Bourbon? Stealing my drink choice? How typical." He mocked her, but he was smirking at her, so she knew he was just teasing her.

Charlene shoved him in the shoulder. "Shut up." She forced herself not to smile.

"Never."

She shook her head, taking the glass to take another drink to hide her growing smile. There was silence between them, but she could feel Damon staring at her and she looked over at him, meeting his gaze.

"What?"

"I like this, us getting along. It's a nice change of pace." He smiled, and Charlene nearly blushed. She could safely say she liked it better when he smiled. It was nice as it didn't happen often.

"Well, if you weren't an ass most of the time, it would happen a lot more often." Charlene informed him, not stopping her smile this time.

"Mm right, well I wouldn't be me if I wasn't an ass." Damon smirked as he turned his head away and the smirk fell.

Charlene noticed his expression changed and frowned. "What is it?" she asked, looking to see what he was staring at. It turned out to be Jeremy and this girl, playing pool. Charlene guessed this was Anna. She was pretty.

"I know her."

Charlene looked at him, startled. "What?"

* * *

Megan sat close to Stefan with Elena on the other side of him as they looked through the pages of the journal. They looked through it for a couple minutes silently until Elena spotted something, taking the journal from Stefan.

"Here's a reference that he wrote about Emily." She read it out loud. "'The Fell family believed it should be I, not them, who protected the witch's spell book. But I feared she would haunt me from the hereafter. They mocked my fear, but it was Giuseppe Salvatore who…" Elena paused, looking up at Stefan. "Is that your father?"

"Duh Elena." Megan responded, and Elena made a face at her.

Stefan didn't say anything for a moment, looking deep in thought. "Yeah, that's my father." He said softly. Megan noticed he looked upset and she reached down to grab his hand. In response, he squeezed it before releasing her hand to take the journal back from Elena to continue reading. "It was Giuseppe Salvatore who removed my fear. He told me he would protect the secret of the spell book. He said he would carry it to his grave."

Megan couldn't help but shiver at that. "That doesn't sound pleasant." She joked a little as Stefan looked up from the pages, brows furrowed together in thought.

* * *

 ** _1864…_**

Giuseppe Salvatore sat in a chair in his study, writing in his journal. Looking up from his writing, he saw Stefan standing outside of the open door. He put his journal on the table in front of him. He got settled back in his chair as he said,

"Stefan, to what do I owe this pleasure."

"Did I interrupt your writing?" Stefan asked.

Giuseppe smiled, "These are the dull musing of my troubled mind."

"A great mind," Stefan corrected.

"Still," Giuseppe persisted. "I will carry the secrets with me—"

"To your grave," Stefan finished off with a smile.

Giuseppe's smile widened. "And a full grave it will be," he said. He gestured to the seat next to him and once Stefan sat down, he spoke up looking at his youngest with concern, "Now, speaking of troubled minds, what's on yours?"

Stefan thought about his words before speaking them out loud. "I have concerns about your plan for the vampires," he told his Father.

"And why is that?" Giuseppe questioned.

"We are making the assumption that all vampires are as evil as they've been characterized, but what if that's not true?"

Giuseppe looked at his son suspiciously, "Do you have any evidence to that contrary? Do you know any vampires?"

"No, no, of course not," Stefan said with a shake of his head. He looked at his Father in the eye, "But are we to take what other say at face value? You always taught us so differently."

Giuseppe stood up from his seat and headed to the small bar that he had as he spoke, "Stefan…these creatures are of the darkest parts of Hell." He poured two drinks, "They have the ability to control your mind, seduce you spirt. They are deadly and must be destroyed." He stopped in front of his son as he handed him his drink, "Those who stand with them; those who bring shame to their families will be destroyed as well."

Giuseppe held up his glass and they clicked their glasses together. Stefan took a sip of his drink, not knowing that the drink he held in his hand had vervain it.

 ** _Present..._**

"Stefan?" Megan said his name with concern, snapping him out of whatever he was thinking about.

"I know where it is." Stefan told them as he stood up to his feet.

"Great! Let's go find it." Megan knew she sounded a bit too enthusiastic about it, but she was, considering this was the only way to keep Damon from releasing the vampires from the tomb. Just hopefully they found it before Damon figured out what they were up to.

* * *

Charlene was still at the Grill when she got a call from Megan. Damon wasn't anywhere near her, so she could take the call without worrying that he could over hear her.

"Yeah?" she asked, answering her phone.

"Hey! Stefan knows where the grimoire is! Meet us at the old cemetery!" her best friend responded. "Is Jeremy okay though? And did you find Anna?"

Charlene nodded, even though Megan couldn't see it. "Jeremy's fine, and yeah we found her. This should keep Damon distracted long enough for us to get it."

"Let's hope! See you there."

"Okay. Love you."

"I love you too." Charlene hung up her phone and looked around for Damon, but he was nowhere in sight. So, she took this time to take off.

* * *

Anna entered back into her hotel room after her 'date' with Jeremy Gilbert. Once she closed the door, she found herself being held onto the wall by the neck from the one and only Damon Salvatore. Her own small hand wrapped around his neck and squeezed it as hard as she could. They kept on squeezing each other's neck until someone gave up. And that someone was Damon Salvatore.

"Okay, I give up."

Anna released her grip on Damon's neck. He coughed as he looked at her impressed.

"Damn," Damon said. "You're strong for a little thing."

"I was wondering how long it would take you to find me," Anna said out of breath.

* * *

It didn't take long to join Stefan, Elena, and Megan at the old graveyard. Definitely one of the things she was grateful about being a vampire that she had the speed to go with it.

"There you are!" Megan exclaimed when she arrived. "Was it hard for you to get away from Damon?"

She shook her head. "Nope, he doesn't know I'm here." She turned to Stefan. "So, are you sure it's in there?"

"As sure as I could be."

"Great." Charlene nodded. She kept looking around for Damon, hoping he wouldn't come until they were out of here. He was going to feel so betrayed, especially by her, but she knew she shouldn't feel bad about doing this. However, she was.

Stefan picked up two shovels from the ground and looked over at them. "Guys, I can do this on own. You really don't have to be here."

"We want to, Stefan." Megan assured him. "Besides, we told you we would do anything we can to help you."

"Exactly." Charlene agreed.

Stefan sighed. "I know, and I appreciate that, but…"

Megan cut him off at that. "No buts. We want to help."

"Besides, this town is our home, Stefan." Elena added. "We want to do anything in our power to protect it. We don't want that tomb open any more than you do."

"So, you're stuck with us." Megan stuck her tongue out at her boyfriend playfully. He smiled softly at her as he handed her the other shovel and she took it.

Stefan exhaled heavily, taking a moment for himself. Megan hated this for him, she really did. She couldn't imagine what he was thinking.

"I'm sorry you have to do this, Stefan." Megan told him softly, and he gave her a soft nod before getting lost in thought again. She shared a look with Charlene and Elena, who smiled sadly.

* * *

 ** _1864…_**

Demetria sat in front of her mirror, looking at her new necklace. Stefan was sitting on her bed watching her every moment. When he noticed her playing with the necklace around her neck, he spoke up.

"What is that?"

Demi looked at her lover through the mirror, "A gift."

"A gift from who?"

Demi chuckled, "If you must know…it was a gift from my mother. I found in my jewelry box. Why are you so curious?"

"I want you all to myself. I don't want you to be with another man. I apologize if I'm being selfish if I want you to stay with me.

Demi got out from the chair and turned to face Stefan with a smirk on her face. "No need to apologize, my love." she told him softly. "I'm not going to leave you." Her smirk deepened as she seductively made her way over to Stefan. "And just so we understand each other, I can be selfish too." She climbed onto the bed and began to kiss up his body as he moaned. "Because I can do this, and this, and this." Her lips made her way to Stefan's neck and she let her face change as she bite into his neck breaking skin. Stefan moaned at the feeling.

A burning sensation started to close up her throat and she began choking. She pulled back, blood all over her mouth. Stefan was instantly alarmed.

"What? What?!"

"Vervain." Demi managed to choke out. Still choking, she fell off of the bed, hands wrapped around her throat.

"Demi!" Stefan cried, crawling out of the bed and cupping her face. "Demetria!" The door burst open revealing Giuseppe Salvatore and he looked at his Father, a look of horror on his face.

"Go get the Sheriff!" he barked at his son. "Tell him we have a vampire!"

"What?! No!" Stefan exclaimed.

"Do as I say son!" Giuseppe cried angrily. "Nothing you feel for her is real." Stefan glanced down at Demi, who had already fainted from the pain. "She's a vampire Stefan! A monster! I fed you vervain hoping that it would expose her."

"How did you know?" Stefan demanded.

Giuseppe gave a sneer. "Your sympathy for their plight. I didn't raise my sons to be weak." He tossed his son his shirt. "The sheriff now! Go, quickly!" When Stefan didn't move, he shouted, "NOW SON!"

With one last glance to Demi, Stefan rushed out of the room shirt in hand, leaving Giuseppe there in the room.

 _'I know now who the other vampires are.'_ He thought as he stared down at Demi.

-0-

Katherine ran as fast as she could to her sister Abigail's room. Demi had been captured! She had to warn Abby. Katherine burst into the room, not even caring if her sister and her lover were naked. But they weren't. They were just lying in bed.

"Get up Abigail!" Katherine barked.

Abigail shot up in the bed and she saw the look on her sister's face, knowing something was wrong. She zoomed off, leaving Damon on the bed, looking at both sisters with a look of confusion on his face.

"What's going on?" Abigail asked.

"Demi has been captured!"

Abby's eyes widened in horror. Damon just sat there and blinked.

"We got to save her!" she cried but before she could run, Katherine grabbed onto her arm.

"No!" Katherine cried harshly, squeezing her sister's arm tight. "WE need to leave sister!"

"But we can't leave Demi! She's our friend."

"We have to. There is nothing we can do to save her." Katherine argued. "We'll find a way to save her, but we have to escape now before we get caught."

Abigail sadly nodded her head. She looked back at Damon and mouthed an, 'I'm sorry to him.' Before Katherine or Abigail could even rush out of the door, someone was at the bedroom door with a gun and shot the girls with a vervain dart: Abby in the arm and Katherine in the neck.

"Abigail!" Damon cried in horror. He started to run towards his love but found himself held back by none other than his father. He tried to break free, but it was no use, and Damon had to watch Abigail and Katherine being dragged away.

"Father, please let them go! YOU LET ABIGAIL GO!"

"Enough Damon. I'll talk to you later after I remove these demons away," his Father growled.

A couple minutes later he was alone. His father and some of his men were gone with the unconscious Abigail and Katherine. With a frustrated hand in his hair, he headed to the window and his eyes widened when he saw Demi being dragged out of the house. Damon's jaw clenched and his blue eyes darkened as he knew who told his father about the girls' secret.

"Stefan," he growled out before rushing out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

 ** _Present…_**

"How long have you've been here?" Damon questioned as Anna walked over to a table, sitting down her bag.

Anna turned to face him leaning against the table. "I arrived half-past comet, watching you screw up every chance you had to open that tomb." She answered, rolling her eyes.

Damon walked closer to her. "So, if you've been around here the whole time, then why are we crossing paths, right now?" He now stood in front of her, a little too closer for comfort.

Anna didn't look at all bothered by this as she stared at him with a look of boredom on her face. "I like to use others to do my dirty work," she said simply as if it was obvious, brushing by him.

Damon slowly turned to face her. "Like Logan Fell?" he said as if it was a question. "Oh, yeah, thanks for that, by the way." He told her sarcastically. "Little bastard shot me."

Anna scoffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Logan was an idiot. We slipped him some blood when he started getting all poser slayer with that compass. I needed his family's journal. I couldn't let him die."

"What did you want with the Fell journal?"

"I thought it contained the location of the witch's spell book," Anna replied, annoyed. "I was wrong. According to her journal, Honoria gave the grimoire to Jonathan Gilbert. And according to this…" She headed back over to the table and took out the Gilbert journal from her bag and showed it Damon. "He gave it to your father. So, now you're going to help me find it."

"Why would I help you?"

"Because we both want that tomb open."

Anna opened the journal to the page that he needed to read and handed it to him. Damon quietly flipped through the pages. He let out an amused chuckle as he closed it back up and sat it back down on the table.

"Sorry, I work _alone_." Anna glared at him, but he ignored as he left her hotel room.

* * *

While Stefan continued to shovel the dirt out of the grave, Megan shined a flashlight into the hole, so he could see what he was doing, while Elena and Charlene stood on either side of their friend, shining flashlights as well. She couldn't help but think how weird this was as she never thought she would be doing this in a million years. Megan let out a giggle, catching the attention of Stefan who paused what he was doing.

"What?"

"Nothing." Megan answered, shaking her head. "It's just…who can say they ever did this before."

"People who have problems." Charlene joked, and the black-haired teen flashed her best friend a grin.

"Good point." Megan agreed with a laugh.

Stefan shook his head, amused at their conversation, before going back to digging. He dug for a little bit longer until he finally hit something solid and it made a loud thud. He found it and Megan bit her bottom lip as Stefan looked up at the three of them with apprehension on his face. To try and make the situation less tense, Megan gave him a reassuring thumbs up, but it didn't make it any better and she slowly put it down. Stefan turned back to the coffin and scrapped the dirt off of it with the shovel before tossing it out of the grave, then he kneeled down in front of the coffin, using his hands to brush off the remaining dirt.

Megan leaned in to get a closer look and Charlene had to steady her to keep her from falling in. She shined the flashlight on the coffin as Stefan opened the lid of it. Megan plugged her nose when the awful smell of the rotten body filled the air. She wasn't the only one who had the do it, Elena did too. Charlene, on the other hand, wasn't bothered by it at all.

"Is that it?" Megan asked, even though she knew it was. What else could it be?

He barely nodded as he took the grimoire from his father. Stefan shut the lid of the coffin and Megan could see he was trying to regain his composure. Her heart broke for him again. She glanced at her best friends, who were tightly holding each other hands. They were probably thinking about their parents and Megan's heart hurt for them both too. Stefan climbed out of the hole, placing the grimoire on the dirt next to her, Elena, and Charlene. This time, Elena shined the flashlight on the grimoire as Stefan ripped the cover off and he carefully turned the pages of the grimoire, looking for the spell.

"Well, what do you know?"

Megan felt Charlene stiffen beside her as they all turned around, startled to see Damon standing right there. He was angry but she could see the hurt and betrayal in his eyes.

His lips curled up in a snarl. "This is an interesting turn of events."

Stefan didn't say anything for a moment. "I can't let you bring her back. I'm sorry."

"So am I. For thinking even for a second that I could trust you."

"Oh, you're incapable of trust." Stefan snapped. "The fact that you're here means that you read the journal and you were planning on doing this yourself."

"Of course, I was going to do it by myself, because the only one I can count on is me!" Damon snapped back. "You made sure of that many years ago, Stefan. But you…" He looked over at Charlene, his eyes sad and full of betrayal. "You had me fooled."

Megan glanced at her best friend and she could see how upset the blonde was, seeing the tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

Damon heard her but ignored her as he went back to looking at Stefan. "So, what are you going to do now?" he demanded. "Because if you try and destroy that, I'll rip her heart out." He glanced at Megan when he said that last part, and the look on his face made Megan stiffen.

Charlene gripped her hand tightly. "Don't you even think about it!" she growled.

"He's not going to hurt her." Stefan reassured her, putting a hand on Charlene's shoulder. Though it was to reassure her best friend, Megan wasn't so sure about that. They might have bonded on the Georgia trip, but she knew Damon would hurt her if he knew it would hurt Stefan.

So, she wasn't shocked when Damon vamp speeded over to her and took her into a chokehold, ripping her away from Charlene's tight grip.

"No!" Both her and Elena immediately protested.

Surprisingly, Megan wasn't frightened until he did something, she didn't expect him to do, but she should have.

"I can do one better." He said before biting into his wrist and forcing her to drink his blood. Instantly, she wanted to throw up from the taste as she struggled against Damon's body to let go of her. She could have used her magic to get him off, but she was too scared to make a move to do so because if she made any sudden movements, he could snap her neck and turn her into a vampire. And she knew what would happen if he did…

"Give me that book, Stefan, or I'm snapping her neck." Damon growled, tightening his hold on her after pulling his wrist away from her mouth. "And you and I will have a vampire girlfriend."

"Please Damon, don't." Megan managed to plead with him, even with her airway being cut off. "You don't want to do it." She knew and he knew if he did that Charlene would never forgive him for it if he did.

Damon ignored her as Charlene watched on in horror.

"Stefan, just give it to him." The blonde said, grabbing onto Stefan's arm.

He glanced over at her for a moment before barely nodding, then he looked back over at Damon. "Let her go first."

"The book!" his brother demanded.

Stefan shook his head adamantly. "I'm not going to give this to you until she is standing next to me."

"Problem is, I no longer trust that you'll give it back!"

"You just did the one thing that ensures that I will." Stefan said softly. Damon, still keeping Megan in tight chokehold making her wish she could use her magic and slam him against tree branch, nodded. "Okay." He slowly placed the book on the ground and reached out for Megan.

Deciding it was safe, but still not using her powers, Megan tried to get out of Damon's grip. He let go of her and she rushed over the other side of the grave, running straight into Stefan's arms as he held her in a tight and warm embrace. Megan buried her face into his chest, not even wanting to look at Damon. Even though she knew he would do something like that, it still frightened her to her core. Megan felt other arms wrap around her and she didn't have to look to know it was Elena and Charlene. They took her away from the forest, leaving Damon standing there, by himself.

* * *

Charlene and Elena insisted she stayed with them for the night, so they could keep an eye on her. Stefan was there too, staying beside her side at every moment.

"You don't have to stay here, Stefan." Megan told him as she searched for some aspirin for her head in Elena and Charlene's bathroom where they said it would be at. "Charlie and Lena can watch me. They won't let anything happen to me."

"I know, but I want to be here." Stefan smiled, and she looked over at him to smile softly before turning her attention back to look for the pain medicine. She searched for a few more seconds, but couldn't find anything, causing her to sigh.

"I guess it's downstairs." Megan said out loud, rubbing her throbbing head. God, she never had a headache like this before. "My head hurts like hell. Is it supposed to hurt like this?"

"Oh, you'll be fine." Stefan reassured her. "That was just a small amount of blood. It should pass out of your system by tomorrow."

"It didn't feel like a small amount." Megan said, cracking a joke as she went over to him and put her arms around him. In response, he rubbed her back in comfort, causing her to sigh at the feeling. She looked up at him and she could see in his eyes that he was thinking about something. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Damon was right…" he mumbled, resting his chin on top of her head. "This is, uh my fault…" He started to tell her about what happened and after he finished, he let go of her and stepped back, looking away from her. "I put my faith in my father, but Damon put his faith in me, and I destroyed that. This is my fault."

Immediately, Megan went back over to him and grabbed his face, getting him to look at her again. "It's not your fault, Stefan. None of it is. You need to stop taking the blame for everything, some things just happens and there's nothing you can do about it. Even if you never had said anything, your father probably would have figured it out, and Katherine, Abigail, and Demetria would still be stuck in that tomb." He didn't say anything as she started to caress his face, staring into his eyes. "I love you, Stefan. No matter what. Don't forget that."

He nodded, reaching out to touch her face. She let him and she sighed at the feeling. Suddenly, the headache came back, causing her to groan.

"I need to get that aspirin." Megan mumbled.

Stefan chuckled. "I'll get it for you. You just rest."

"Okay." Stefan kissed her forehead before he left the room. Megan heard him say a quiet, 'hi Elena,' and a couple seconds later, Elena entered the room, looking at her concerned.

"How are you feeling?" she asked her.

"I'm doing…okay." Megan answered. "Stefan's getting me some aspirin, so I'm just going to rest and try to sleep it off…"

Elena nodded.

* * *

Charlene was in the kitchen when Stefan came in and she looked over at him, managing a smile. She was still thinking about what happened with Megan. She was hating on herself for not doing more to stop Damon. Charlene snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of Stefan's voice.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course." Charlene answered quickly, too quick to be telling the truth. Stefan rose an eyebrow at her, and she knew he didn't believe her, causing her to sigh. "No…no I'm not…I should have done more to stop Damon…and that wouldn't have happened to Megan. That she wouldn't be in danger of becoming a vampire…" Stefan kept silent as he listened to her. She realized how the last part sounded and she winced. "Not that being a vampire is a bad thing…even I've grown to like it, I just don't want Megan to become a vampire by force. I want her to decide for herself."

Stefan finally spoke. "I get it. I don't want that for her either…"

Charlene wanted to ask him if they ever had _that_ conversation yet, but she felt it was too personal to ask. Just then, Jenna entered the kitchen, giving them both a smile.

"Hi guys."

"Hey Jenna."

Jenna turned her eyes to Stefan, giving him a serious but playful look. "You do know you're not staying the night, right?"

He gave a laugh. "We're all just going to hang out for a little while."

Jenna grinned. "You're lucky that I like you." Then the serious look returned, "Keep the door open.

"Ah, you don't have to worry about that, Jen." Charlene told her, causing Jenna to look over at her. "I'll keep them straight. Besides, last thing I want to see is my friends making out, or anything else." She nudged Stefan in the side, grinning over at him. He shook his head at her, but smiled, probably happy to see her going back to her normal self. It was mostly for Jenna's sake, so her aunt didn't worry about her.

"Hey, do you have any aspirin?" Stefan asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah." Jenna moved over to the cabinets and rummaged through them as Jeremy came into the room.

"Oh, hey Stefan." Her brother greeted, and he nodded at him. Jeremy looked around, frowning. "Where'd she go?"

"She went to the bathroom."

"Ah." Jeremy went over to the fridge. Stefan and Charlene shared looks with one another.

"Who's here?" Charlene asked.

"He has a friend over."

Charlene looked over at Jeremy.

"Anna." Her brother explained.

Stefan instantly ran from the room, getting confused looks from Jeremy and Jenna. Charlene smiled sheepishly before rushing out of there too.

They made it upstairs together, and Stefan vamp-speeded around Elena's room while Charlene just stood there, her face darkening as she realized, looking out the open window, that Elena and Megan had been kidnapped.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Fool Me Once, Part 1...**


	36. Fool Me Once, Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the first part of Fool Me Once! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

And keep the votes for the poll coming!

* * *

Megan woke up from her slumber, nearing groaning at the pounding in her head like she had been smacked in the head. But her groan stopped in her throat when she noticed Ben sitting in a chair by the end of the bed. Megan sat up quickly in bed, her eyes widening as she remembered what happened.

Shit. Her and Elena had gotten kidnapped by someone.

She looked around for Elena frantically before sighing in relief when he spotted her knocked out on the bed beside her. Slowly getting up to not disturb Ben, Megan quickly tiptoed over to Elena, giving her shoulder a quick shake. The brunette shot up in bed, about to let out a gasp but Megan stopped her by smacking her hand over Elena's mouth. She shushed her, putting her finger to her mouth while using her other hand to point over to Ben. Elena followed her gaze finger and froze at the sight of him. Then she turned her gaze back over to Megan.

"What do we do?" Elena mouthed to her.

"Just stay quiet and follow my lead." Megan mouthed back to her, taking her by the hand to lead her to the front door, tiptoeing over there. She kept a tight hold of Elena's hand as they made it there and she looked over her shoulder to make sure Ben was still asleep before glancing at Elena as to double check with her. When the brunette nodded, Megan turned back towards the door and twisted the doorknob. She went to open it but the sudden voice behind them made her freeze.

"I wouldn't."

Megan whirled around, bringing Elena along with her. And there was Ben, standing right behind them. _Shit_ again.

She would have used her powers on him right then and there, but he started to compel her before she could as he inched towards her and Elena. Unknown to him, she had vervain on her. Thank God for Stefan and his protectiveness, even though it didn't matter since she was a witch and Ben couldn't compel her anyway, but still.

"Don't try to escape." Ben said, his pupils dilating. Megan put on a dazed look. "Don't even move. Do you understand?"

"I understand." She said in a monotone voice.

"And same goes for you too." Ben told Elena, compelling her too.

Megan had to look at make sure Elena still had on her vervain bracelet and she did, so she bit back a smirk.

"Okay…" Elena agreed blankly.

Ben glanced at the two of them, then scoffed as he finally turned around, heading over towards the fridge.

Megan waited a moment before giving Elena the go signal. Her friend quickly opened the doorknob and bolted out the door. Megan would have followed but it was too late as a young girl appeared and blocked her from leaving, then grabbed onto her hair, making her yelp.

Elena immediately skidded to a stop. "Megan!" She was about to run back towards her.

"No!" Megan shouted, stopping the brunette right there "Go Elena! Get out of here!"

The girl's grip tightened in her hair and Megan yelped again. "Take one more step and I'm snapping her neck!" she growled.

Frightened, Elena slowly nodded, making her way back towards them. Once she was close enough, the girl grabbed her roughly by the arm with her free hand. Still gripping Megan's hair and Elena's arm, she pushed them back inside the hotel room.

"Seriously?!" the girl shouted at Ben angrily.

"I told them not to move!" he protested. "I did that eye thing that you taught me!"

"And forgot the lesson about vervain!" the girl snapped. "Megan dates a vampire, Ben! Duh! And Elena is her friend, so she has vervain too. Oh, and Megan's a witch! They can't be compelled!"

"How do you know I'm a witch?" Megan asked confused, but the girl ignored her. Rude, she scowled.

"Who are you?! And what do you want with us?!" Elena demanded.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Does it matter?" she asked rhetorically before opening the bathroom and shoving them in there.

Megan kicked the door, even though it was no use. "Let us out! We have rights damnit!" she shouted.

Elena put a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, there has to be another way out of here."

She shook her head. "I don't think so, Elena, there's no window to climb out, so we can't pull a Rachel."

This made Elena crack a smile, despite the situation. "You and your _Friends_ references."

"You know it." Megan winked teasingly, but then she sobered up and sighed. "How are we going to get out of this mess?"

Before Elena could answer, there was this noise coming from the bathtub. There was someone else in here. Megan went over to the tub and pulled open the curtain. Her eyes widened at the sight of her sister laying there, unconscious.

"Bonnie!" Megan cried out. "No!"

She got into the bathtub to pull her sister out along with Elena's help. Immediately once she was out, Megan felt for a pulse and there was one, thank god. She was relieved for a moment, then she was pissed.

They were going to pay for bringing her sister into this.

* * *

Charlene split up with Stefan to go searching for Megan and Elena by herself, but she couldn't find them anywhere, and she couldn't help but feel sick with worry. So, she headed back to the boarding house to see if Stefan found anything.

"Any luck?" Charlene asked him hopefully. He shook his head in a no and she sighed heavily in frustration. "They have to be somewhere! Anna couldn't have taken them far. We have to find them, Stefan."

He placed his hands on her shoulders. "We're going to find them but…you're not going to like to hear how we're going to…"

Charlene didn't have to think long about who Stefan was talking about. She shook her head.

"No…no way. He tried to kill Megan." Charlene was still pissed off at him for that. If he was planning on staying on her good side, doing that wasn't doing that at all. "Do you really think Damon will even tell us? After what we did to him?" She asked Stefan.

"I don't know…but we have to try. I can't think of anything else to do."

Charlene stayed silent for a moment before sighing heavily. "Fine, let's ask him then, but I don't think it's going to work."

"Thank you." She faked a smile. She still hated this idea, but if they were going to find Megan and Elena and this was the only option, then they had to do it.

So, she didn't complain as she followed Stefan into the study where Damon was, reading through Emily's grimoire. Seeing him made her angry but she tried not to let it show, getting angry at him wouldn't help if he was going to tell him where Megan and Elena were, even though she didn't think it was no use asking him anyway. If she was him, she probably wouldn't help them either especially after they betrayed him like they did.

Damon didn't look up at them as they entered the room. Stefan crossed over to him and Charlene followed behind him, but stood a distance away from them.

"Anna took Megan and Elena." Stefan said.

He still didn't look up, rolling his eyes slightly. "Yeah, I got that from your 600 voicemails."

"Damon, all night long, every street in town, I've been searching. What if your blood hasn't left her system?" He didn't look at them again, flipping to the next page in the grimoire.

"Well, then at least you know you'll see her again."

Charlene decided to try this time. "Come on, Damon, please." She begged as she stepped towards him, bending down to try and meet his gaze, despite the fact he was still looking at the book. "I know your pissed off at us, especially me, but this is my sister and my best friend we're talking about. Just tell us where Anna is, and where she is keeping them, and we'll leave you alone about it. _Please_."

He did glance up at her for a moment before looking back down at the grimoire, saying nothing. Charlene sighed heavily, stepping back from him.

"I told you it was no use, Stefan." She said. "Let's go. We can find them ourselves." She started to walk away, but stopped at the sound of Stefan's voice as he spoke to Damon again, sitting down on the sofa, next to Damon.

"Please." He pleaded. "What do you know? You were with Anna; you must know where she's living. Just tell me where I can find her."

Damon looked up at Stefan, looking unaffected by his pleads. "Nope. You can go. Really." Just because he wasn't listening to his pleads, it didn't stop Stefan from continuing to plead with him.

"You know, all I can remember is hating you. There might have been a time when that was different, but your choices have erased anything good about you." Damon finally put down the grimoire to give his brother his attention. "But see, I also know you have just as much reason to hate me. This all began with me. Abigail got taken away from you because of me. And I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted."

Charlene stared, surprised. Did he really just accept Stefan's apology?

"So please, just tell me what you know."

"Huh?"

"It's Megan, Damon." Stefan pleaded again. "If you know something, tell me."

Damon didn't say anything as he slowly stood up and Stefan copied him, looking at him with anxiety written all over his face. "I mean, this sincerely…" Stefan nodded, anticipating his answer. "I hope Megan dies."

Hearing Damon say that made Charlene so angry that her face started to change as she snarled at him. Instead of slamming him against the wall, like she seriously wanted to, she reeled her hand back and punched him the face as hard as she could. If she was still human, she definitely would have broken her hand.

"You son-of-a-bitch!" Charlene growled at him, fighting the urge to kill him right where he stood because she knew it was be no use as he was older than her and much stronger. Surprisingly, Stefan didn't bother trying to hold her back, probably knowing by now that once she got started, it was hard to stop her. "How dare you say that?! You're lucky that I'm smart enough to not try snapping your neck right here! Because it would be no fucking use! Don't you dare threaten my best friend! And you know what, I mean THIS sincerely – I hope to God you never see your precious Abigail AGAIN!"

As soon as those words left her mouth, Damon was right in her face, snarling at her but she didn't even flinch. She wasn't scared of him anymore.

"You better watch yourself, Charlie." He growled, and she didn't bother getting onto him about calling her that. "I told you I wouldn't let anyone get in my way of getting her back, and that includes you."

Charlene glared at him. "That's nothing more than an empty threat, Salvatore! You're not going to do a damn thing to me. You had a bunch of chances to do something but you haven't, and I'm still here, probably because in your sick mind, you think I'm going to be some replacement for Abigail just in case you don't get her back, but that's never going to happen because _I_ _hate you_." She wanted to hit him where it hurt, even though he probably didn't give a damn if she hated him or not. But then, she softened her voice but continued to glare at him. "And here I was, feeling so guilty for betraying you like that. I felt guilty all day about it and deep down, I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't because I was doing it to protect my friends, my family, and this town. Because unlike you, I actually give a shit about people other than myself." She didn't know why but her eyes were filling with tears. "I truly thought you were my friend, Damon, but now I don't even want to want to look at you right now…"

She stormed out of the study. She needed to get out of this room, away from Damon.

* * *

Megan sat with Bonnie, holding tightly onto her as Elena wet a towel to give to her. Her sister was still unconscious, and she was still raging mad at the people who hurt her. Like she said, they were going to pay for what they did. As soon as Elena brought the washcloth over to her, Megan took it and placed the towel on Bonnie's forehead.

"Come on, Bon-Bon, wake up." She pleaded, brushing Bonnie's hair out of her face. At her touch, her sister's eyes fluttered, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God…you're okay…"

Bonnie tried to sit up and Megan helped her as Elena ran over to them, kneeling down next to them. Realizing what happened, Bonnie's eyes went wide.

"Oh my God! Ben is a…" Before she could finish that sentence, Megan shushed her, putting her finger to her lips.

"Shh." She told her sister in a whisper, pointing towards the door. "They can hear us. Elena." She nodded towards the sink.

Knowing what she meant, Elena stood up and turned on the water before going back over to them, kneeling beside them again.

"I'm so stupid!" Bonnie said, putting herself down, which Megan wasn't going to have.

She grabbed her sister's shoulders. "Don't you dare, you are not stupid, he had us all fooled. It's not your fault." She sighed, leaning back. "If it's anyone's fault, it's mine for not telling you what all of this is probably about…"

"What are you talking about?"

Megan sighed, glancing at Elena before looking back at Bonnie. "This probably has something to do with the tomb and Emily's spell book."

"Spell book?"

"Yeah." Megan nodded, then sighed again. "Damon said it could be used to open the spell.

"Why didn't I know about any of this?" Bonnie demanded. Megan glanced away, feeling bad for not telling her.

Elena spoke this time, getting Bonnie's attention. "We were trying to keep you out of it, hoping it would never come to this."

"Come to what?"

"To break the spell, they need a witch to break the spell and let the vampires out." Megan admitted as she looked back at her sister.

"No way! But wait, why me? Why not you, Megan? I mean, you're a witch too, why can't you help them break it?"

Megan said nothing for a moment. "I don't know if this is true or not, but I think that I can't…because they need a Bennett witch to break the spell…"

"But you are…"

She glanced down. "I…I'm not…Bonnie…I'm adopted."

Before anyone could say anything, Ben burst through the door and Megan gripped her sister's shoulders protectively. He turned the tap off.

"You're wasting your time; I'm not going to help you." Bonnie said, glaring at him.

Megan guessed they were just going to ignore what was revealed, at least for now. Ben smiled devilishly in response as he grabbed Elena and Megan by the arms. Megan struggled in his grip.

"Hey, let go!" She growled, but he only tightened his grip. Since he was a vampire, it hurt, and she cried out.

Automatically, Bonnie reached out for them. However, Ben managed to pull them away from her.

"That's why they're here. Motivation for you to behave." Ben sneered at her. "You know, you shouldn't be so desperate. You made it too easy."

"Dick!" Megan snarled.

"Megan, don't!" Elena warned, looking frightened.

Megan ignored her as Ben looked at her in disbelief.

"Seriously? Are you that stupid?" he asked, tightening his grip again.

She rolled her eyes. "Trust me, I've dealt with vampires more powerful than you. You don't scare me, not by a long shot."

"Well, you should be." Ben growled as he shoved Megan out of the bathroom, surprisingly leaving Elena in the bathroom with Bonnie. "She wants to talk to you."

He pushed her out into the bedroom, making her stumble. There was the girl again, leaning against a table as she looked at Megan.

"Well, well, Megan Bennett." Her eyes scanned over her. "You really are Demetria's doppelganger. You must have the Salvatore boys reeling, or well you and your best friend, Charlene."

Megan said nothing for a moment, crossing her arms. "Who are you? I mean, I think I have an idea but…"

"I'm Anna." The girl, or now Anna, said. "Elena's brother may have mentioned me. I mean, we're like practically dating."

* * *

Damon went up the Bonnie's grandmother's house and knocked on the door. It didn't take long for the door open, revealing Sheila.

"Yes?"

Damon smiled charmingly at her. "Hi there. I'm looking for Bonnie."

The suspicion was obvious in Sheila's eyes, but Damon didn't notice any of it. "She's not here."

"Oh, well do you know when she…" He couldn't finish as Sheila interrupted him.

"Never." She said in a tight voice.

He shook his head. "You have quite the opinion for someone who doesn't me," he told her, still trying to act charming.

Shelia glared at him. "You got some nerve knocking on a Bennett witch's door and asking her for anything."

"What did I do?" Damon questioned, looking as innocent as Damon Salvatore could.

Shelia scoffed. "Spirits talk Mr. Salvatore and so does my granddaughter, both of them have. You are _no_ friend to us. Now get off of my porch."

Damon got close to her. "Step outside and say that."

Sheila slowly stepped outside, narrowed her eyes at Damon, and used her witchy powers to make Damon hold his head and yell in agony, slowly crumbling to the ground.

"I am not Bonnie. You _don't_ wanna mess with me!"

She slammed the door on Damon, leaving him on the ground. With the door closed, Shelia leaned back against it, looking exhausted.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Fool Me Once, Part 2...**

 **Now, I don't know if it's true or not that it had to be a Bennett witch to break the spell, but for my story's sake, let's say its true lol. Also, I've always had a feeling that Sheila was getting close to dying anyway, so even if she hadn't helped Bonnie with the spell, I think she still would have died. At least in my opinion. Anyway, hopefully the next chapters comes out sooner with me being at Florida all week on vacation with my family, but we'll see.**

 **Oh, and keep the votes coming for the poll, just a reminder, it'll end once I get to the first episode season two, so a little far off but we'll get there!**

 **Until next time then!**


	37. Fool Me Once, Part 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the second part of Fool Me Once! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

And keep the votes for the poll coming!

* * *

Megan sat stiffly on the bed as Anna kept her eyes on her. "Bonnie's not going to open that tomb for you, Anna. You're wasting your time."

"I say I'm not. She will open the tomb, whether she likes or not, which I figure that she doesn't."

She shook her head. "Do you really want to open that tomb? Just to get Abigail out along with the other two?"

Anna scoffed. "Trust me." She said. "No one wants to see those girls again. Except for Damon, the love-struck idiot. For Abigail, at least."

Megan could definitely agree with her about Damon. "Then what?" she asked, hoping to get an answer this time. "Why would you need to open the tomb?" She guessed she finally made Anna give in, probably because the young vampire knew she wouldn't give up until she got an answer out of the girl.

"My mother's in there." Anna answered, trying not to look emotional about it, but Megan could see she was, just by looking in her eyes. She walked closer to her with her arms crossed. "The girls, especially Katherine, couldn't help themselves. She had Abigail and Demetria toying around with the Salvatore brothers. Then when they got caught, so did my mother. I watched Jonathan Gilbert take her away."

"I'm sorry." Megan apologized, meaning it completely.

Anna chuckled dryly. "You really mean that, don't you?"

"I do." Megan told her softly. "No child should be without their parent…"

She stared at her for a moment before looking away. Megan knew she had gotten to her, but it didn't last long as Anna composed herself and looked her way again.

"Yeah, I think we'll skip this fake bonding, so you can start serving a purpose."

"And what would that be?"

"Leverage." Anna held up a cell phone, which Megan recognized as her own as she felt her pocket, realizing she must have dropped it. "Is this yours?"

Megan tried to grab at it. "Give it back!"

Anna pulled it back abruptly and Megan glared at her. "I don't think so." She started dilating a number, walking across the room before putting the phone to her ear.

"Who are you calling?" Megan asked, even though she had a pretty good idea who it was.

Anna ignored her as the person she was calling answered the phone. It was Stefan, just like who Megan thought it was.

"Megan? Are you okay?"

"She's fine. For now, and so is Elena too, if your even worried about her. And they'll both be fine if you tell me you have the grimoire."

"I can get it."

"Which means your brother has it. And I have the witch." Anna shook her head before changing the subject. "Let me talk to Charlene Gilbert."

Megan's eyes went wide. "Wait, she has nothing to do with this!"

Anna ignored her again as Stefan spoke up again.

"Why?"

"Just put her on the damn phone, or blood will spill." Anna threatened.

Megan gulped at her words.

* * *

What did Anna want to talk to her about? Charlene wondered as she took the phone away from Stefan.

"Hello?" Charlene spoke tentatively.

"Hello there, Charlene, nice to hear from you. You sound just like Abigail too."

Charlene ignored that, cutting to the chase. "What do you want?"

"I need you to convince Damon to give me the grimoire. If anyone is going to be able to convince him to give it, it'll be you."

Charlene snorted. "I don't what gave you that idea, but I won't be able to convince him to give it you."

"Then I guess I'll start killing your friends, starting with Elena."

Her eyes hardened at those words. "If you touch one hair of any of their heads, I'll find you and kill you myself." She heard Anna laugh on the other end of the phone.

"I don't think your brother would like that very much." Charlene clenched her jaw angrily at that. "Anyway, I need that grimoire. So, one of you had better meet me in the very public in 30 minutes so we can safely discuss how fun it's going to be to work together."

Anna hung up the phone, and Charlene handed it back over to Stefan, then her gaze glanced over to where Damon was as he smirked.

"Go ahead." He mocked. "Grovel again. Oh, wait no…I don't care."

Charlene glared at him. "Oh, shut up, Damon." She snapped. She wanted to smack the smug look off his face, however, she decided to be the bigger person, but not with her words. "You know what, Damon, you're just not worth it anymore." She started out of the room, bumping into Damon's shoulder as she brushed by him.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

She didn't bother looking at him as she stopped to answer him. "Why do you want to know? _You don't care_ , remember?" With those words, she left the room without looking back. Though she had no idea where Megan and Elena were, Charlene had an idea on how to find out.

* * *

Anna knocked on bathroom door, startling Megan from her spot on the bed as she looked at her. "I'm leaving!" she called.

Ben opened the door and left the bathroom, gripping onto Elena and Bonnie's arms as he dragged them out. Megan was relieved to see that they were both alright.

"Keep them buttoned down." Anna ordered, making Ben look at her. "Compulsion won't work. Just use violence."

He nodded. "Right. I got that."

The young vampire left the hotel room, leaving them alone with Ben. He shoved Bonnie onto the bed Megan was on and then did the same to Elena, putting her on the other bed.

Megan wrapped her arms around Bonnie protectively and her sister squeezed her back reassuringly.

"Sit. Behave." Then he looked over at Bonnie, smirking as he went to sit down in the chair, he had been sleeping in. "So, you're the key to this. Literally. The one who opens the door. Tell me, how long have you've been a witch?"

Elena cut in, so Bonnie wouldn't have to answer him. "Is there anything to drink here?"

Ben got up and walked over to Elena, smirking devilishly. "Are you offering?"

Megan saw her friend stiffen at that and she rolled her eyes. "Of course not, idiot."

He glared at her but said nothing surprisingly as he changed the subject. "There's water on the nightstand." He turned around.

Elena grabbed the cup from the table, about to take a sip, but Bonnie stopped her before she did.

"Hey." Her sister said, causing Elena to look at her. "Can I have a sip?"

* * *

She moved the cup away from her mouth before handing it over to her sister. Without even hesitating, Bonnie tossed the water on Ben and used her powers to turn it into flames.

'Go sis!' Megan cheered to herself.

It made her feel safe enough to use her own, giving Ben a brain aneurysm, making him cry out in pain as they all got up and ran towards the door. Megan lifted her assault on him as her and Bonnie made it to the door. They had gotten open and they would have run out if it wasn't for Ben grabbing onto Elena.

"Come back in!" Ben growled, tightening his grip around the brunette's neck as she clawed at his hand. "Shut the door!"

Sharing a look with Bonnie, Megan sighed as they both stepped back into the room.

"Don't hurt her!" Bonnie begged.

"Don't make me!"

Megan nudged her sister further into the room as she shut and locked the door behind them. She sighed to herself. They were never going to get out of here unless Stefan or Charlene found them, and Megan hoped to god they would.

* * *

Anna was walking down the sidewalk of the spot where she said that she wanted one of them to come meet her at. She suddenly heard her name being called and she froze at the sight of Jeremy running out of the Grill.

"Hey, uh, what happened to you last night?" he asked as he stopped in front her.

"Sorry, I had to leave." Anna responded, glancing around. "I told your sister to tell you."

"I haven't seen her." Jeremy told her.

"Well, I gonna run so—"

He cut in before she could finish. "Do wanna go to a party tonight?"

Anna looked surprised. "Go to what?"

"Oh, the guy's who's throwing it is a total douche, but it's supposed to be fun." Jeremy chuckled. "I figured safety in numbers."

She gave him an amused look. "So, you're finally ready to go out with me, are you?

"It's been a while since I've been to a party and I kind of want to get back out there. Not be such a loner. And uh- I like you. Your fun and you're also kind of strange and lurky but uh- I guess I like that too. So, yeah, you should come to the party. With me. It's in the woods by that old cemetery."

This made her perk up. "Oh, it's there, huh?" she said, and Jeremy nodded. "That sounds cool. I'll meet you."

"Oh. Okay!"

Anna started to walk over to the bench as Jeremy called out, "Great! Cool!"

Sitting down on the bench, she looked over at the side of her before looking at the other side only to see Damon Salvatore, sitting right next other. Anna rolled her eyes internally but was smug that he showed up. She guessed Charlene convinced him after all.

"Got a hot date, or are you just planning on napping the entire Gilbert family?" Damon questioned her with a smirk.

"Party." Anna informed him. "Right next to the old cemetery." She smirked. "Isn't that nice of them? Lots of warm bodies for staving vampires."

Seeing what she was trying to do, Damon rolled his eyes. "I told you. I work alone."

Anna's smirk fell into a frown, guess Charlene didn't convince him, well she figured she would have to then. "So, do I." She told him seriously. "But you're minus a witch and I'm minus a spell book. Plus, I got two girls, who are very close to a girl named Charlene. So, what do you say?"

"Stefan, will come after you, you know that? For messing with Megan, and kidnapping Elena."

Anna glared at him angrily. "Then, he won't be happy if I kill both Megan and Elena when I don't get what I want." She smirked silently to herself when she thought of something that would help get Damon to comply. "And Charlene will never forgive you for not helping them." At that comment, Damon's eyes snapped up and looked right into Anna's eyes. This time, she did smirk at him, knowing that she had him right where she wanted him. "How does it feel to know that the girl that looks like Abigail hate you because you let her Megan to be killed because you wouldn't give me the book to save them?" With those last words, Anna got up from the bench and started walk away.

 _'Damn.'_ Damon cured in his head, knowing she had got to him. Despite what he said, he did care. Out loud, he called out to Anna before she left, "When do you wanna do this?"

Anna stopped walking and turned to him. She rolled her eyes.

"God, it's like 1864 all over again." Anna said. "You Salvatores are truly pathetic when it comes to women." Damon's eye twitched at the insult as she changed the subject. "Tonight. At sundown. Meet me at the church."

She walked away, leaving Damon sitting there.

* * *

Unfortunately, Megan was sitting back down on the bed, next to Bonnie as Ben paced in front of them. She glared at the vampire, wishing she could her powers to burn him, or at the very least try to kill him with her death glare.

"Witches don't have eternal life, right?" Ben asked Bonnie, not noticing or paying attention to Megan's glare. "So, you guys can die?"

Bonnie didn't like the subject if the look on her face was any hint and Megan squeezed her hand. She didn't like the subject either.

"Yep." Bonnie answered blankly. "We can die."

"Ah. That sucks."

All of the sudden, Stefan kicked open the door.

"Stefan!" Megan cried out, relieved as Ben screamed in pain when the sun hit his skin.

Charlene appeared, zooming over to the curtains to throw them open to let more sun into the room, and Ben screamed again.

"Go!" the blonde shouted at Megan.

She didn't have to be told twice as she ran out of the hotel room with Elena and Bonnie right behind her.

A little bit later, they were at Grams' house, sitting around the table. Megan gripped onto Stefan's hand as he sat down next to her, not wanting to let go right now, and Charlene stood behind them with her arms crossed. Elena was there too, sitting beside Bonnie.

"So, what do we do now?" Elena asked, looking around at everyone.

"Well, for now, you need to stay here." Stefan answered as he looked over at Sheila.

"A prisoner, in my own home?" She scoffed. "I don't think so."

"I can't protect you if you leave the house."

"We'll protect yourself." Sheila said seriously.

Charlene sighed from where she stood. "As much as I hate to say this, we're gonna have to help Damon get Abigail out. He's not gonna give up on this and maybe if we help without betraying him this time, it'll put an end to all of this."

Bonnie was the first one to protest this. "No! He doesn't deserve to get what he wants."

"Charlene's right." Megan had to agree with her best friend. "He won't stop until he gets Abigail out, and people will die if he doesn't get what he wants. What other choice do we have?" She looked up at Stefan.

Sheila sighed, glancing over at Bonnie as she reached over to grab her hand. "Witches being pulled down by vampire problems. As much as we try to stay out of it." She looked back at Stefan. "You get your brother's girl and destroy the rest with fire. Then this will all be over."

"We still have to get Damon to agree."

"He already agreed once." Elena said.

"Yeah, and as its been mentioned, we double-crossed. So, now he's angry."

This made Charlene speak up. "He's hurt, Stefan, there's a difference…" she said softly, making him look at her. "As much as I don't want to talk to him, I know what I have to do. Wish me luck." Before anyone could say anything, she zoomed out of there.

Megan stared at the spot where her best friend was, hoping Charlene managed to convince Damon that they would help him get Abigail back.

* * *

Charlene stood outside of the boarding house, hesitating at the front door. She was nervous about going to inside. She knew she had to try to convince Damon that they were willing to help him get Abigail out of the tomb. Charlene didn't know how well that was going to go, but she had to try.

Taking a deep breath, she finally headed inside and managed to find Damon in the study as he slipped on his leather jacket. He heard her come inside because she heard him speak to her.

"I'm gonna have to chain the locks." He said, and Charlene rolled her eyes as he grabbed the grimoire, tucking it under his arm. "So, did you find them?"

Charlene was surprised he asked but she still answered him. "Yeah, I got Bonnie's grandmother to do a locator spell, and she found them."

"Ah."

There was silence for a moment until Charlene broke it. "So, I convinced Bonnie to help you…"

Damon snorted. "I doubt that."

"Well, I did." Charlene said, forcing herself not to roll her eyes again. "I figured it was better to convince her to help you get the tomb open, before anyone gets hurt." He said nothing and she sighed as she walked around the edge of the study towards the stairs, leading to the sunken part of the room where Damon was. "I really don't know what you want me to say. If you want me to apologize for getting the grimoire without you, well I'm not, because I'm not sorry."

He kept silent for a moment. "Well, at least you're honest."

"But like I said, I did feel guilty about not telling you about it, but I knew I shouldn't, because I was trying to protect the ones I love, but…" Charlene paused for a moment. "I guess so were you, in your own, twisted way. "And even though it's hard to admit, we're all on the same side, after the same thing." She went down the stairs, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Not interested." Damon snapped as he started to leave, but Charlene didn't let him get far.

She snorted. "Don't lie, yes, you were. If you weren't, you wouldn't have been so willing to work with us yesterday."

He turned around. "Fool me once, shame on you."

"Don't do that!" Charlene snapped, getting frustrated. "Stop doing and saying things that make me hate you! Do you want me to hate you, Damon?!"

"I thought you already did." Damon bit back.

"I only said that because I was mad at you for what you said about Megan! I don't hate you, despite everything that you've done to me, to my friends, to everyone I love. I should hate you…" Her voice lowered into a whisper but then she shook her head as she stepped closer to him until she was standing in front of him and she looked up at him, meeting his gaze. "We want to help you, Damon. You have to believe me. I'm promising you, right here and now, that I will help you get Abigail back."

Damon groaned, unconvinced as his eyes went up skyward. "I wish I could believe you."

"I'm not lying to you, and you know I'm not. You just have to trust me." For some reason, she let her hands touch his chest and he looked down at her, surprised by her touch. "Trust me, we'll get her back for you." She said softly.

Slowly, his own hands went up, barely brushing against her cheeks. A spark went through her at his touch and her breathing caught in her throat. What was he doing? Charlene didn't ask though, not wanting to break the moment as her eyes glanced down at his lips and he glanced at hers. She couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking when he looked at her. Was he thinking about kissing her? Charlene knew she was, and she was thinking about the last time he kissed. The night of the comet.

Damon finally spoke, breaking the moment between them but he still kept his hands on her cheeks, stroking her skin unconsciously. "You know Anna won't stop by the way, no matter what I do."

"I know…" she breathed. "But we'll deal with it."

He finally dropped his hands and she missed his touch. "Okay…I'm trusting you. Don't make me regret it." He turned around, leaving the study.

"You won't regret it." Charlene told him softly, knowing he would hear her, and she was going to make sure he didn't.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Fool Me Once, Part 3...**

 **Finally we have more Darlene moments, I love those. :) Anyway, please leave reviews and let me know what you thought! Until next time on Surviving Vampires 101!**


	38. Fool Me Once, Part 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the third and last part of Fool Me Once! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

And keep the votes for the poll coming!

* * *

Charlene followed alongside Damon through the woods to meet up with Bonnie, Elena, Stefan, Sheila, and Megan at the graveyard where the tomb was. They walked into the middle of Duke's party and she stopped abruptly. She had forgotten a party was going on tonight.

"Of course, there's a party in the middle of the woods." She rolled her eyes, but she frowned worriedly, looking around. "Hopefully they stay clear of the church. The last thing we need is a bloodbath."

"Your hope, not mine." Damon said, grabbing her hand to tug her along again.

Charlene gave him a look. "Do you have to be so morbid?"

"I'm a vampire, it's part of the description." Damon answered. "Come on, hurry up."

She ripped her hand away, because he was squeezing it too tight. "I'm going, god." She rolled her eyes in annoyance. Of course, he was back to his annoying self. She shouldn't be surprised about. He always was, but they did have a moment, and forgive her if she thought he would just be nice. At least to her.

They didn't get that far along when Caroline and Matt walked up to them.

"Charlene, hey!" Matt greeted with a smile.

"Hey." She greeted back before pushing along. "Er, as much as I would like to chat, I have somewhere to be. I'll see you guys later." Charlene would have walked past them if it wasn't for Caroline cutting in.

"Where's Elena and Megan? I haven't seen them all day." The blonde slipped her hand into Matt's, giving Damon a pointed stare but he ignored it.

"Uh…" She didn't get to answer as Damon interrupted.

"Long story, no time to tell it." He told Caroline, annoyance in his tone of voice.

Caroline glared at him heatedly. "I wasn't talking to you."

"Sure, you were."

The tension in the air was clear, so Matt tried to break it as he held out his free hand towards Damon. "We haven't met. I'm Matt."

The black-haired vampire didn't even shake Matt's hand. "Matt, there's a reason why we haven't met." Damon grabbed Charlene's arm and started dragging her away.

"Sorry." She apologized to Matt and Caroline as she let Damon pull her away from her friends. Normally, Charlene would have said something to Damon about being rude, but she didn't feel like it as they did have more important things to do.

* * *

Megan stood with Elena and Bonnie as they gathered around the old church. She was nervous about being here. It gave her a bad vibe, especially knowing what she knew about the place and what was down below the ground they were standing on.

"I don't like it here." Megan admitted, looking at Bonnie.

"Yeah, me either." Her sister agreed quietly.

Just then, Stefan climbed up from the tomb with a shovel in hand. "Cleared the debris." He said. "Set the torches like you asked. We can go down now."

"Great." Megan mumbled, shivering. Her boyfriend set down the shovel against a rock before going over to her side and grabbing her hand. She squeezed it, moving against his side, as she finally took notice to the cans of gasoline. She had been too lost in her thoughts to notice them.

"What is that?" Bonnie asked, looking at them.

"It's everything I need to destroy them." Stefan explained as he handed Sheila a flashlight.

She took it. "Are you sure Damon will come back with her?"

No one had to answer the question because as soon as she asked, Damon and Charlene appeared.

"Brother. Witches." Damon greeted before he strided past them with the grimoire in his hands with Charlene trudging along behind him.

Her best friend rolled her eyes at his greeting while he descended the stairs into the tomb. Charlene moved over to where they were, and Megan went over to her friend to give her a hug. It didn't last long until she pulled back.

"You doing okay?" Megan asked, even though she was sure her best friend was fine. She was sure the blonde just wanted to get this over with as much as everyone else did.

"I'm fine." Charlene told her reassuringly, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Let's just get this over with."

Megan couldn't agree more. Soon enough they were down in the tomb as Shelia prepared for the spell. Megan wished she could help her family members do the spell. Though she had accepted the fact that she wasn't a Bennett, it was a moment like this that made her wish she was, so she didn't feel so useless.

"Air. Earth. Fire." Shelia chanted as she lit the torches around them.

"Water." Bonnie added, holding up a water bottle towards Sheila. She took it from her, sprinkling the water on the floor.

"That's it?" Elena asked from her spot next to Charlene. She sounded surprised. "Just watch from the tap?"

Shelia looked at her, amused. "As opposed to what?"

"I just figured maybe it would have to be blessed or mystical or something." Elena said awkwardly. This earned her a smirk.

Damon pulled out a blood bag and unraveled it. Charlene turned her head towards him, her nose automatically smelling it out. Megan guessed since her friend was still a new vampire her sense of smell was still very sensitive the smell.

"Who's that for?"

"Not for you, if that's why your asking." Damon said, and Charlene just gave him a look in response. He gave tiny chuckle at her reaction. "It's for Abigail, obviously. Gotta have something to get her going. Unless the human's offering to tap a vein." He smirked over at Elena, but she wasn't amused, and neither was Charlene, even though she knew he was just joking…hopefully. He turned towards Stefan next, lowering his voice into a whisper. "Admit it – you can't wait to get rid of me."

Stefan looked at him, not even batting an eye as he chuckled. "I can't wait to get rid of you."

Damon smirked. "Hmm."

There was a couple minutes of silence until Bonnie spoke up, looking up at them from where she was next to Sheila. "We're ready."

 _Here we go._ Megan thought, trying to prepare herself for what would happen next. Whatever happened, she had a feeling it wasn't going to be good for any of them.

* * *

Anna and Jeremy had moved away from the party in another part of the woods. He was leaning against a tree while she stood in front of him, looking around.

"This place is wild," she said, returning her gaze to Jeremy.

Jeremy chuckled at her. "You kind of like dead people, huh?"

Anna smiled, "I'm strange…remember?" Jeremy smiled before looking over at the party and a worried frown appeared on Anna's lips, noticing the look on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Uh…" Jeremy looked at her and nodded to her question. "Yeah. I'm fine…this place just makes me think about someone."

"A dead someone?"

Jeremy shook his head. "No, no…It's someone I used to know." He changed the subject quickly, not wanting to talk about it anymore, "So, uh, hey, we made it all of what, 37 minutes of that party?"

Anna smiled and laughed. "Not your scene?"

Jeremy pushed himself up into a standing position "I'm not sure what my scene is anymore…" Jeremy smiled at her. "So…what do you say? You, uh, wanna be a part of my non-scene?"

"I would happily be a part of your non-scene except I'm, uh…"Anna bit her bottom lip for a moment before continuing, "I'm leaving…"

"Wait, what?" Jeremy asked, thinking he heard wrong.

She nodded, smiling sadly. "Yeah. My mom and I are moving away."

"Oh…uh, that's a bummer."

"Yeah…"

"Yeah…" Jeremy repeated, not knowing what else to say.

"So…I guess this is goodbye," Anna said.

"I guess it is…"

Slowly, they moved in towards each other, and their lips met in a kiss. Breaking away, Anna felt her face start to change, causing Jeremy's eyes to go wide in alarm.

"Your face."

Anna turned away quickly, "I-It's nothing."

"I didn't look like nothing…" That was the last thing that Jeremy Gilbert remembered saying when he was suddenly knocked out by Ben.

Anna sighed, looking down at Jeremy's unconscious body. "You didn't have to hit him that hard."

"Yes, I did," Ben said, looking at her seriously.

She quickly changed the subject. "Grab him and let's go. I'm taking him to meet my mother…"

* * *

Charlene couldn't help but feel relived that they were finally getting this over with, after all this time as she watched Sheila and Bonnie recite a spell, eyes closed, and their hands interlocked. It was hard to tell which language they were speaking in, but it sounded like Latin. She wasn't the only one thinking about it as Damon spoke up, asking the very same question she was asking herself.

"What are they saying?"

"It sounds Latin." Stefan said.

"It's not." Megan spoke up, listening intently.

Oh right, Megan was the one to ask about that since she knew what they were saying.

"What are they saying then?" Charlene asked her curiously.

"It's hard to explain." She answered, leaving it at that.

Charlene figured it didn't matter much as long as it was the spell to open the tomb. After a few more minutes of reciting the spell, the torches flared up, making Elena jump at the suddenness of it.

"What's happening?" Elena gripped onto Charlene's arm and she patted her sister's hand reassuringly.

"It's working…" Megan mumbled as the tomb door creaked open.

Bonnie's eyes opened up and she looked towards the door along with Sheila. "It worked!" she exclaimed, sounding shocked.

"Of course, it worked." Sheila told her as she patted her shoulder with a smile.

Damon looked over towards Stefan. "We have some fires to build."

He nodded, turning towards Megan as he gently touched her shoulder. "I'm gonna go get the gasoline, I'll be right back."

She nodded at her head, reaching up to touch his face. "Be careful."

He turned his head to kiss the inside of her palm. Then she let her hand fall, and he went out of the tomb. Damon looked to Bonnie, then Sheila, and then Charlene before landing his gaze on Megan.

"You ready?"

Megan's eyes widened at him. "What…what are you talking about?"

"You think I'm gonna go in there by myself so you can deal me in?" Damon grabbed Megan by the arm, tugging her over to him roughly.

"Damon, don't!" Charlene protested as she reached out towards her best friend. But he backed away before she could even think about grabbing her.

"Don't take her in. I'll bring the walls down." Sheila warned dangerously.

"You'll bring the walls down if I don't." Damon argued, glaring at her. "You think I trust you?"

"As much as I trust you."

"Alright, that's enough!" Megan exclaimed, interrupting their arguing. "He just needs me for leverage. He wants to make sure you won't close the door on him. I get it."

"But Megan…" Charlene started to protest, but she stopped when she saw Megan shake her head.

"No, it's okay." She tried to reassure her. "He won't hurt me because he knows for damn sure, I'll use my powers on him if he tries."

Charlene found herself cracking a smile at that. "Okay…fine…" she backed up but not before giving Damon a warning herself, the same warning she gave Anna. "If you touch one hair on her head, I'll kill you."

Damon made no comment about it as he grabbed the nearest torch. "May I?"

He didn't let Sheila and Bonnie answer, taking it anyway. He tugged Megan towards the entrance of the tomb. The black-haired witch gave Bonnie and Sheila a reassuring nod before disappeared inside with Damon.

* * *

Stefan bent down to pick up the tanks of gasoline and was about to grab one when he heard a familiar voice, one he told to get out of town.

"Dark down there?" he mocked.

Stefan looked up and saw Ben standing there but he wasn't the only one there. He glanced down at Ben's feet and saw Jeremy, lying there unconscious. Stefan looked back up at Ben, his eyes narrowing at the young vampire.

"Thought I told you to leave?" Stefan said.

"I considered, but then I thought…screw you!" Ben snapped out.

"Hey hero."

Stefan turned around at the other familiar voice. It was Anna.

"I'm going to get my mother," she said in a voice that left no room for arguments, but Stefan was going argue anyway.

He stared at her, hard. "You can't do that."

"Well, Ben's about to make a main course out of Elena's brother." Stefan immediately looked back at Jeremy, who was being held by the back of his jacket, and he looked back at Anna as she continued. "So, you can stop me or him. Your choice."

In a blink of an eye, Anna was gone, leaving Stefan, Ben, and Jeremy alone before Stefan could protest. So much for having a choice in the matter…

* * *

Charlene was alone with Bonnie, Sheila, and Elena for a little while, but it didn't last long as Anna suddenly showed up. She immediately went into defense mode.

"What are you doing here?" Charlene growled. The young girl ignored her and tried to go into the tomb, but she cut in front of her automatically as she stood to her full height to try and intimidate her. "You can't go in there, Anna."

Anna glared at her, standing up to her full height as well. "You think you can stop me?"

"Try me and see what happens." Charlene snarled at her.

"Charlene…" The blonde looked over at Sheila. "Let her go."

She was surprised to hear that as she glanced back down at Anna. Then after a moment, Charlene backed up and let her go by her. The girl grabbed a flashlight from the ground, running into the tomb. Bonnie turned and looked at Sheila, angered.

"Why did you let her go in?!" she demanded.

"Because she isn't coming out, baby." Sheila answered calmly. "None of them are."

Charlene's head snapped towards her at those words. "What…what are you talking about?!"

* * *

After a few minutes of staring at each other, Stefan spoke up. "Do you really think that she cares about you?" he questioned. Ben didn't say anything just stared at him blankly. "Hm? You're disposable to her."

"I don't care. She already gave me what I want."

Stefan scoffed. "Are you going to say, 'eternal life?'" he asked amused. "You really that stupid?"

Ben walked closer to the youngest Salvatore. "You know I've heard about you." He stopped walking and smirked. "You don't feed. You're not strong enough to beat me."

With that, he rushed towards Stefan, using his vampire speed. But Stefan was faster, being older than the other was, and flipped Ben over on his back. Ben was quick to get up though.

"Is that you got?" he asked, mockingly.

"No, I got this…"

Stefan lit up the gasoline torch and the fire sprayed at Ben, causing the boy to scream out in agony as he moved around really fast to get rid of the fire. But it didn't work out for him because he fell to the ground, dead, as the fire continued to burn him.

* * *

"Stupid…selfish…bastard…" Megan muttered profanities about Damon, who abandoned her inside the tomb to go further inside. She was probably slowing him but still! What an asshole.

And the whispers of the vampires were still going on, coming from in all directions. It was scary to be in here, especially by herself. But Megan knew she could handle herself as she kept herself prepared just in case a vampire attacked her, even though they probably wouldn't be able to with how desiccated they were but still. She was still going to keep herself prepared.

"Damon?" Megan tried to call out to him, knowing he would hear her. "Where the hell are you?!"

There was no response, only whispers coming from the vampires around her. She tried to ignore them as she cursed out Damon again. Because of this, Megan wasn't paying attention where she was going and she tripped, letting out a cry as she did so. Her flashlight dropped to the grounded. Megan scrambled to grab it and she found it, gripping it in her hand. She lifted it up as she tried to get to her feet, but she stumbled back to the ground, gasping in shock. The light had flashed on one of the mummified vampires as its eyes opened up and they were bloodshot with hungry.

Megan scrambled to her feet, scared as she moved around the area to look around for exit, her flashlight shining on all kinds of desiccated vampires. She stopped when the beam of light shined on Anna. How the hell did she get in here?

* * *

Finally, Stefan came back, and Charlene couldn't help but shift nervously on her feet, knowing he would ask about Megan. And she was right.

"Where's Megan?" he asked.

"Stefan…" Charlene spoke, hesitating to even tell him as she knew how he would react to it.

"Where is she?" Stefan demanded.

The blonde bit her bottom lip before sighing. "Damon took her in, Stefan."

"What?! And you didn't stop him?!"

"I tried!" Charlene protested. "But…Megan went in willing…"

Stefan shook his head as he ran towards the entrance of the tomb, but Sheila grabbed his arm before he got far.

"Stefan! If you go in there, you won't come out."

He didn't say anything for a moment. "What did you do?"

The older woman gave a sigh, but she didn't sound apologetic as she answered him. "Opening the door didn't remove the seal, it just opened the door."

"What's the seal?"

"Some seals keep vampires from entering. This one keeps them from coming out."

"So…" Charlene started off quietly. "Megan will be able to get out, then." Sheila looked at her and nodded. "But Damon won't…" And neither would Abigail, or Demetria, or Katherine. So much for not making Damon regret trusting her, but she knew it wasn't her fault. It sure as hell felt like it though.

"You were never planning on breaking the spell, were you?" Stefan asked, breaking Charlene's thoughts. Even though he already knew the answer to the question.

Sheila regarded him seriously. "I told you. I will protect my own. Megan can get out. That's all that matters…"

* * *

Megan stepped back from Anna as the vampire smirked and moved closer to her.

"You must have a taste for it." She mocked. "You scream and shriek and even bother to escape, but you just come right back to it."

Megan made no comment, stepping back further. She bumped into someone, and it was someone Anna recognized.

"Mother!" she cried out in relief, shoving past Megan to kneel beside the desiccated body. "Mother…" she whispered next as she caressed her arm and then her gaze landed on Megan, glaring at her. "Your boyfriend did this, you know."

Megan said nothing for a moment. "It's not Stefan's fault that his father was a dick. He was the who did this."

"And Jonathan Gilbert." Anna sneered as she stood up to her feet. "I made a choice a long time ago that it would be Gilbert blood that brought her back to life. I had Jeremy ready to go but I guess you'll be the next best thing…" She smirked wickedly.

Knowing what she meant, Megan's eyes went wide and she tried to bolt from the room, but it was no use. Anna was quicker, grabbing her as her face changed and she bit into her neck.

Megan let out a scream of pain as her fangs sliced through her skin.

* * *

Charlene heard the familiar scream of her best friend. "Megan!" her head whirled around towards the entrance of the tomb. "Stefan!"

As soon as she cried out his name, he ran into the tomb. Charlene was quick to run after him. She didn't care if she never got out of there, all that matter was making sure Megan wasn't hurt.

When they found her, she was getting her blood sucked with Anna pushing her down.

"No!" Charlene growled. Oh hell no. She used her vampire speed to grab Anna, shoving her hard so she slammed against the nearest wall. Instantly, Charlene was back to the girl, her hand wrapped her Anna's neck tightly. It had surprised the young vampire. "I told I would hurt you if you touched one damn hair on her head. So, I better make good on my promise." And she would have if it wasn't for the voice interrupting her.

"Anna…" The voice choked out.

"Mother…" Anna managed to say as Charlene let her go shocked. So that was why she wanted in the tomb.

Anna ran over to her mother after shoving the blonde away. She fell to her knees and caressed her mother's face, crying happily.

"Let's go." Charlene heard Stefan say from beside her and she looked over at him, finally noticing Megan wasn't there, but she figured Stefan had told her to go.

Charlene glanced over at the crying Anna with her mother, and her anger faded away, realizing the girl had only wanted her mom back. Of course, she could understand that need, so she left Anna alone and followed Stefan back to the entrance of the tomb where Megan was.

The black-haired teen whirled around, relived to see them. "Stefan! Charlene!" She noticed they weren't making a move to leave, and she looked at them, confused. "What's going on? Get out here."

Charlene shook her head sadly. "We can't…"

"What do you mean you can't?!" Megan shouted, turning towards Sheila and Bonnie. "What are they talking about?"

"It's going to be okay." Bonnie spoke, trying to reassure her. "We'll fix it."

"Fix what? What are you even talking about?"

Bonnie said nothing for a moment. "The spell's still up. We can't get them out yet."

Megan's eyes welled with tears as she finally turned back towards them. "You…you guys went there…not knowing if you could come out…why?"

"We heard you scream, Megan." Charlene told her softly. "We couldn't leave you there."

"What about Damon? We can't leave him in there…we promised him…" Megan was saying what Charlene was thinking.

"I know…" Stefan said softly.

Sheila finally spoke up, shaking her head. "Even if we're able to break through the seal, we won't be able to hold it for long."

"We still need to try." Charlene said. The thought of not being able to get Damon left bad taste in her mouth.

Stefan nodded in agreement. "I'm going to look for him."

"Not without me you're not." Charlene told him, and he looked ready to protest but she cut him off. "I'm not taking no for an answer." Before he could say anything, she moved through the tomb and was the first to find him. He looked frustrated as he kicked the dirt on the floor.

"She's not here!" Damon growled.

"Damon…" Charlene called out, but he didn't seem to hear her. Stefan showed up and said his name too as he walked up to his bother.

"She's not here!" he screamed, throwing the blood bag against the wall. It splattered against it and he had the look of pure anguish on his face.

And it hurt Charlene to see him like this.

* * *

Outside of the tomb, Megan stood with her sister and Grams, deciding to help them with the spell. She didn't care if it was meant to be lifted by Bennett witches. She was one, maybe not by blood, but she was by heart and that's all that matter.

So, there she was, beside her sister and her Grams, lifting the spell to help bring the seal up just enough to get Damon, Charlene, and Stefan out of there.

Elena was there too, her eyes watching the open of the tomb anxiously. "Is it working?" she asked, but no one answered her since all of them were busy doing the spell. The torches finally lit up around them and her eyes lit up. "I think it's working!"

Just then, Anna came out of the tomb, holding onto her mother. Elena was the one to spot her and before she could say anything, the girl spoke.

"I just wanted my brother back." She informed softly. "Jeremy's fine." Elena's widened a bit at the mention of her brother. _Jeremy? What did Anna do to him… (or not do to him since she said he was fine)?_ "He's outside. I won't touch him." With that, they left the scene and the torches began to falter.

"Bonnie, Megan, keep going!" Sheila shouted to them before turning her head quickly towards Elena. "They better hurry."

"Stefan, Charlene, they can't hold it much longer!" Elena yelled, angling her body towards the entrance of the tomb.

The torches extinguished themselves, and she looked towards her friend. Both Megan and Bonnie looked exhausted from the strain of the spell they were doing, and Shelia didn't look much better. It seemed to have more of an effect on her.

Elena didn't think much about, at the time, as she ran into the tomb to try and get them to hurry up.

* * *

Back inside, Charlene watched with pain filled eyes as Stefan tried again to get Damon to leave.

"Damon, we need to get out of here." He told his brother, but he wasn't listening as he paced the tomb floor.

"It doesn't make sense." Damon muttered. "They locked her inside…"

"If we don't leave now, we're not getting out."

"How could she not be in here?" Damon was still not listening.

Charlene decided to try, and she went up to him, but didn't touch him. "Damon, please! We need to leave, or we won't get out. I know you're upset that she's not in here, but it's not worth it to stay down here for eternity. She's not worth it!"

"NO!" Damon roared at her words as he whirled around and tried to shove her away, but Charlene wouldn't let him. She moved forwards, grabbing him only to pull him into a tight hug.

He didn't have a reaction at first. It took a bit and he returned her hug tightly. If he wasn't so emotional, it wouldn't have been this easy to get him to return the embrace. Charlene found herself burying her face into Damon's chest as her arms tightened around him even more.

The hug would have lasted longer if Elena hadn't came running in, breaking the moment. With that, they left the tomb, thankfully without Damon protesting.

It was finally over.

Charlene had gone home after it was over with Elena, but after trying and failing to go to sleep, she left the house and found herself at the boarding house. As she tried to go to bed, she couldn't help the fact that her mind was on Damon and how he was doing with the fact that Abigail wasn't in the tomb. Probably not good, but she wanted to check on him.

She headed on inside without bothering to knock and searched around until she found Damon sitting by the fire. Stefan was sitting down next to his brother. Charlene couldn't help but smile at the sight softly. He wasn't there long as he stood up and turned around, seeing her standing there. Stefan looked at her surprised, going up to her.

"How's he doing?" Charlene asked quietly, even though she knew Damon could hear them.

Stefan sighed. "Not good…he…uh, just found out that Abigail was never in the tomb in the first place…and he won't talk to me."

"Oh…" Charlene didn't know what to say. "I'll talk to him…" She said softly. Not letting Stefan say anything, she headed up to where Damon was and sat beside him.

"Decided to join me on my self-loathing party?" he asked sarcastically.

Of course, even with him in pain, he found the time to be sarcastic. She figured it shouldn't be a surprise.

Charlene cracked a smile. "Well, you shouldn't do that by yourself, even if it is called _self_ -loathing." She joked. He didn't even look at her to give her any type of reaction. She was hoping to get a smirk out of that, and it made her heart hurt that she didn't see it. Ha, she never thought she would see the day that she wanted to see _Damon smirking_.

She sighed and stayed silent for a moment. "Damon…I'm sorry about Abigail." He tensed up at the mention of her name. "I know how much you wanted to get her out."

"Yeah, well, I guess it was all just a waste, seeing as she didn't care." Damon bit out as he stood up.

Charlene followed in suit. "It wasn't a waste…" she said softly. "At least now…that you know she's not in there…you can finally try and move on."

"Move on?" Damon snorted.

"Yeah…" She nodded as she moved up to him and touched his back. "I know you love her…but sometimes it's just better to let the ones you love go…and find someone new. There's no use waiting for someone who doesn't want to be waited on."

Damon didn't say anything as he turned around to face her, his hand catching her own as it fell away from his back. He caught her eyes causing Charlene's heart to skip a beat. It was like she was back to this afternoon before everything went on where they had almost kissed. It was probably wrong that she wanted it to happen…considering that he had just found the love of his life wasn't where he thought she was and that she didn't care about him. Not only that, Charlene shared her face.

What if he was thinking of Abigail as he kissed her? Did she really want to take that risk? Glancing at his lips, she thought that she could but would she.

Damon leaned in, about to make that decision for her. However, she moved back before he could.

"I'm sorry…" Charlene breathed. "I can't kiss you…not like this. Not when you're still in love with someone else."

Before he could say anything, her phone started ringing and she picked it up, turning away from Damon. All she heard was crying on the other end of the phone.

"Megan?" Charlene voiced, concerned. "What is it?"

"C-Charlie…it's Grams…"

Those words made her heart sink to her stomach.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **A Few Good Men, Part 1...**

 **I know another almost kiss between Darlene. Sorry about that, but it'll happen. Just not right now. Not when Damon is still hung up on Abigail, like Charlene said lol. Also, I know the conversation about Megan being adopted wasn't talked about with Megan and Bonnie. Or at least, I didn't write it. With that said, they did talk about it, I just didn't write it in because I couldn't find a spot for it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the last part of this episode! I had fun writing it so I hope you enjoy reading it! Until next time on Surviving Vampires 101! :)**


	39. A Few Good Men, Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the first part of A Few Good Men! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

And keep the votes for the poll coming!

* * *

Adam Massey, who had two kids and a wife, was hiking through the woods near the old church with his hands around the straps of his backpack. He stopped in his tracks though when he heard a noise from behind him. Adam turned around and saw a man who wore clothes that were obviously not from this century, but he shrugged it off. Adam let out a breath of relief that he had been holding in.

"Geez, you scared me." He breathed.

The man just continued to stare at Adam for a few minutes as he walked closer and finally spoke. "Do you know what day it is?" he asked.

Adam looked at him confused but replied to his question anyway, "Saturday."

"And what year?"

"It's 2010." Adam said. The man looked stressed and he couldn't help but look at him with concern in his eyes. "You okay?"

The man nodded, "Thank you."

"Wait, what's your name?" Adam questioned, realizing that he didn't know the man's name.

The man met his gaze. "It's Harper, sir."

"How did you get out here? And why are you dressed like?"

Harper didn't say anything for a moment. "You seem like a very nice person…I'm sorry…"

Adam was confused. What was he sorry for? He voiced his thought out loud. "Sorry for what?"

That was the last thing Adam remembered before getting attack by Harper. He screamed out in pain and Harper, once Adam was drained of blood, dropped him to the ground and took out his clothes. Once he had the clothes on, something suddenly started ringing. Harper searched his pockets before finally find some weird object that kept on ringing. He tossed it to the ground and left, leaving Adam lying there.

* * *

Charlene sat outside in the cold with warm jacket on and a blue scarf around her neck on the porch. Elena was out there with her, but wasn't nearly as warm as she was. Though her sister was able to deal with the cold much better than she could.

They sat together on the porch swing. Charlene nursing a tumbler of fresh blood, thanks to Damon's secret stash, and Elena on the phone with Bonnie, or well she was leaving a message for her.

Bonnie and Megan were gone for Grams' funeral, and her sister hadn't been able to get a hold of Bonnie, so she was once again leaving a message for her. Charlene, on the other hand, had talked to Megan just a few hours ago and learned that Bonnie was taking Grams' extremely hard. Megan was too, of course, but wasn't as much as Bonnie was, and according to her, Bonnie wasn't even speaking to her. She was obviously blaming Megan for Grams' death, and she didn't have to say anything.

Charlene felt bad for them both and wished she could, but there was nothing she could do. Not with her being here in Mystic Falls.

"Still no luck?" Charlene asked as Elena finished up her message.

Her sister sighed, putting her phone off to the side and grabbing her diary. "No, she's still not answering her phone. Have you spoke to her?"

Charlene shook her head. "No, I haven't, but I talked to Megan. Bonnie's taking it really hard."

Elena nodded with a sad smile. "Yeah…they were really close."

"Yeah…" Charlene took a sip out of her cup, and the warm taste of blood went down her throat, causing her to sigh in pleasure. She noticed Elena watching her from the corner of her eye and saw her sister was looking a little uncomfortable. There wasn't any judgement, but Charlene felt it. "Er, sorry…does this bother you?"

She quickly shook her head. "No, of course not. It's still just a little strange, that's all."

Before Charlene could say anything else on the subject, Jenna appeared, smiling at the sight of them. "What are you guys doing out here?" she asked as she stepped onto the porch. "It's cold out here."

"Thinking. Writing." Elena answered first, pulling her journal close to her.

"And I'm here, because I have nothing better to do." Charlene told her aunt. With Megan gone, there wasn't much fun to be had really.

"That too." Elena agreed, then added, "The, uh, funeral for Bonnie and Megan's grandmother, it brought back a lot about mom and dad. So, we were wondering…you said that you would do some digging about them, the adoption."

"Right."

Elena looked at Jenna hopefully. "So, did you? Dig?"

She said nothing for a moment. "Come inside."

Charlene shared a look with Elena before following Jenna inside the house. The blonde wondered what their aunt found out. They moved to the dinning room table, and Jenna pulled out her laptop, sitting down the table's surface and opening it open as Charlene and Elena stood on either side of their aunt.

Charlene took off her jacket and scarf, putting it over the nearby chair. She couldn't wait to hear what Jenna found out, not only about Elena's birth parents but her and Megan's as well.

"Your dad kept everything from his medical practice." Jenna finally spoke. "Records, logs, old appointment books." She pulled out a journal and opened it, showing a page to Elena. "Patient and a birthdate. Isobel Peterson."

"Do you think that's her real name?" Elena asked curiously.

"Pregnant teenage runaway? Probably not. First name, maybe. But where did she get Peterson? Classmate? Best friend? So, I binged it." Jenna pulled up the internet and typed in _Isobel Peterson_ in the search engine. "I searched for all the Petersons in the area born in the same year as Isobel, found 3 – two men and a woman, Trudie, who lived in Grove Hill, Virginia."

"That's not far from here." Elena said in awe as she smiled over at Charlene, who smiled back.

Jenna was smiling too. "Well, watch this." She typed something else in the search engine and pulled up an image, which showed a young blonde and two young brunettes. All three wearing cheerleading uniforms. Charlene looked down at the description and it stated the girl's names. Trudy Peterson, Isobel and Amanda Fleming.

"Isobel? She was a cheerleader." Elena said, her eyes sparkling.

"Trudy still lives in." Jenna handed her a post-it note. "This is her address."

Elena took it from her. "What about Isobel?"

"I couldn't find anything about her." Elena looked disheartened as she sat down on the table. Charlene smiled sadly and she patted her sister on the shoulder in comfort. Jenna didn't say anything for a moment. "Listen. There's something else. Mr. Saltzman, Ric, his wife was from around here, and her name was Isobel."

"Wait, 'was.' As in…" Elena trailed off.

Jenna smiled at her niece sadly. "She died."

This made Elena glance down at the table, and Charlene changed the subject, pointing to the other brunette in the picture.

"So, this is Isobel's sister?" she asked.

"It is…and your and Megan's birthmother."

Charlene looked at her, startled. "Really?" She looked over at Elena and her sister looked at her. So, they really were all related. They were cousins. That was one question answered as she looked back over at Jenna. "Do you know anything about her?"

"Just that she got pregnant around the same time as Isobel, and your dad was the who delivered you, Elena, and Megan…and that she died in a car accident a couple years ago…" Jenna said softly. "I'm sorry, honey."

Charlene didn't say anything, but she felt Elena's hand grab her own, squeezing it tightly. It was silent as they both mourned their birthmothers.

A little while later, they were up in Elena's room with Stefan, talking about the new information they got. Megan was there too, but on speaker phone.

"I can't believe it." Her best friend mumbled. "So, Elena's birth mom is Mr. Saltzman's deceased wife?"

"We're not exactly sure." Charlene admitted. It would be weird if it was.

"Yeah." Elena agreed, then she sighed. "I mean, the coincidence alone is just crazy." She turned around to look at Charlene and Stefan, holding the post-it note up. "I have the address for her friend Trudie."

"You wanna talk to her." Stefan figured.

Elena sighed again as she ran her fingers through her brown hair. "I don't know…I really don't…if it's true and they are the same person, that means that my birthmother is dead, and I don't know if I could handle that."

Charlene could understand that. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle it, but then again, she did learn the woman that gave birth to her was dead and still didn't know what to think about it.

"But it could not be true." Charlene told her sister, going up to her and putting an arm around Elena's shoulders.

"Yeah, like you said it could be just be some crazy coincidence." Megan added. "Right Stefan?" She asked, wanting to see what he thought about it.

Stefan didn't say anything for a moment. "Did Jenna tell you anything about Alaric's wife? How she died?"

Elena shook her head. "No, just that she was killed, and that the case was never solved."

Stefan just nodded, and Charlene got the impression that he already knew that.

"You already knew that, didn't you?" she asked, knowing she was right just by the look on his face.

"The night at the school when he attacked me, he told me some things about her death."

"Well…" Elena started to say something.

But Charlene cut her off, shaking her head as she turned her sister around, putting both hands on her shoulders. "Don't, Elena. It can't be true. It's not possible for Mr. Saltzman's wife to be your birthmother. I wouldn't worry about it." She paused for a moment. "But if you want to go and talk to Trudie, you know I would go with you and be there every step of the way."

"And even if I'm not there, I'll be there with you in spirit." Megan added. "You won't have to do it alone."

Elena smiled slightly, enjoying the support she was getting. "I know…but I don't know what I'm going to do yet."

Charlene nodded in understanding as Stefan spoke up.

"I should get going." He said, "I gotta deal with Damon."

At the mention of his brother, Charlene blushed internally, remembering how they almost kissed, but on the outside, she frowned in concern.

"How is Damon doing anyway?" she asked Stefan, unable to keep the concern from coming out.

Stefan seemed to think over his words before he said them. "He's…he's dealing in his own way."

 _'Meaning feeding on people and causing chaos.'_ Charlene thought to herself with a sigh.

* * *

Music blared around the living room of the Salvatore boarding house as Damon fed on one sorority girl that he compelled last night. Other girls were dancing around him that all had bite marks on them while he swayed back and forth with the girl he was feeling on in his arms.

"How do I taste?" The girl giggled as Damon pulled away from her neck, blood all over his mouth.

"Oh, so much better than your friends," he whispered seductively in her ear, and the girl giggled again. "But shh. Don't tell them. They might get jealous."

Suddenly, the lights came on, and Stefan entered the room. Damon could see it was his brother, even with his vision blurry because of the brightness.

"No!" He groaned. "Buzz kill Bob!" Of course, he had to show up just when he was having fun. So, like his brother, ruining the moment. Stefan turned the music off before coming over to him and Damon peered up at him with bleary eyes. "Greetings." He still had the girl in his arms, still swaying to the music even if there was none.

"Can we talk?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah."

"Without the Tri-Delts." Stefan added, glancing at all the girls in the room.

"Anything you have to say to me; you can say in front of them. They're really good at keeping secrets." Damon leered down at the girl in his arms with a wide smirk.

Stefan gave him a look, and he sighed. A few moments later, they were alone, well by themselves since the girls were still in the room, just lodging down on the couch. And now instead of having a girl in his arms, Damon had bottle of booze in his hand. Bourbon to be exact.

"You're worried about me. That's nice." Damon smiled at his brother lazily. "Don't be. There's no need. I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? I spent the last 145 years with one goal: get in that tomb. I succeeded. Granted Abigail wasn't in there to be rescued, but why dwell?" Like Charlene said, it was time to move on. At first, he thought the whole idea was stupid, but he had time to think about it and it was time to move on. As much as you could being as old as he was. "You know, it's so liberating not having a master plan, because I can do whatever the hell I want."

"That's kind of what I'm afraid of." Stefan said bluntly.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Relax. I haven't killed anyone in…" He sighed. "Too long."

Stefan nodded towards the girls in the living room. "And the girls?"

"Will end up in their dorms with headaches, think they blacked out. Business _as usual_. Predictable you didn't pull me over for a pep talk, that's been Charlene's job." Stefan didn't say anything about that, but he did wonder what the blonde vampire had said to his brother last night. "So, drink up." Damon pushed the bottle of bourbon against Stefan's chest. "Spill it, brother."

Stefan grabbed the bottle but didn't drink it as he dropped his arm to his side before getting to the real reason why he was here. "There was a woman you may have known a few years back named Isobel in North Carolina at Duke."

Damon snorted, giving him an exasperated look. His past was really not a discussion he felt up to having right now, and he told his brother so. "You wanna discuss the women of my past right now? Seriously?"

"You killed her."

"What's your point?"

"I just…just wanna know if you remember anything about her."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Oh, it's like a needle in the haystack, Stefan."

"Well, think hard, it's important."

There was a pause, then Damon grasped his brother's shoulder and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Nothing is important, not anymore." He pulled back, grabbing the bottle from Stefan. "Great chat. I have to go and exploit some women in the name of grief, which I'm sure you understand. 'TTFN,' said the Tri-Delt." He chuckled at his own joke as he walked back over to the sorority girls.

* * *

Jenna stood outside of the Grill with Alaric, who was helping her put up a banner for the Founder's Fundraiser. It was definitely a lot easier getting it up with a man there, especially a man she had a huge crush on and one who was being raffled off for the fundraiser. It made her forget the fact that he might be the husband of Elena's dead birthmother.

"I don't know." Alaric was saying as they hung it up. "It's just weird, you know, being raffled off like a Disney Cruise."

Jenna laughed. "In this town, fundraising is like indentured servitude." She joked, but she was being completely serious. "You don't have a choice. Besides, you're a bachelor, and you're eligible, so there you go?" She stood on her tiptoes, trying and failing to get her side of the banner pinned up.

Alaric moved to the side she was working on. "Here. Let me help you with that."

With his help, they were able to get it up and Jenna smiled up at him. He smiled back. _'God, he had a gorgeous smile.'_ She thought dreamily.

Just then, he leaned in and kissed her. It was a surprise, but she kissed him back, of course. Jenna looked at him, out of breath, when he pulled back from her.

"Oh, god." She breathed. "I can't believe I'm gonna do this…"

"What?"

"I am totally going to ruin this moment, but I…I have to tell you. Elena recently found out she was adopted, and she's been looking for her birthmother…whose name was Isobel."

Alaric looked at her, taken aback. "Isobel? Like my wife?" Jenna nodded as she bit her bottom lip. After a moment, he shook his head. "Isobel never had a baby."

"Are you sure? Not before you were together?"

"Nope. No way."

Jenna sighed heavily as she took out her mobile and showed him the picture she had brought up. "This is Elena's birthmother."

Alaric looked completely alarmed and she winced at the sight of it. "Ah, she, uh…she never told me." He managed to say. "I, uh, I'm gonna go. Yeah, I'm…I'm gonna go…" He awkwardly walked away, and Jenna watched after him, sighing heavily.

She really shouldn't have said anything.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this, Lena?" Charlene asked concerned as she stood outside of Trudie's house with Elena. They went over there on a whim and she wanted to make sure her sister was sure about this. Though she had already asked this multiple times already.

"For the thousandth time, yes, I'm sure I want to do this." Elena answered again, the same answer she gave the other times Charlene had asked. "You don't have to worry about me, Charlie. I want to do this. I need to talk to someone who knew my birthmother."

Charlene was silent for a moment. "Okay, if you're sure."

"I am." Though she said that, Elena hesitated on knocking on the door, but she finally did it.

It wasn't long until a woman opened the door. It was Trudie, and she looked like her younger self, but of course older than she had been. However, she was still pretty.

"Trudie? Tru-Trudie Peterson?" Elena asked nervously, just to make sure.

"Yes?"

"Uh, my name is Elena Gilbert, and this is my sister, Charlene Gilbert." Charlene waved at Trudie. "I, uh, wanted to talk to you about Isobel Fleming."

"And about Amanda Fleming." Charlene added, because she wanted to know about her and Megan's birthmother.

Trudie looked amazed. "Well, I haven't heard those names in ages. How do you know them?"

"I think, um, well…do you know if Isobel had a baby that she gave up for adoption?"

"My god. You're Isobel's daughter." Trudie glanced over at Charlene. "And you're Amanda's daughter…wait, wasn't there another one?"

Charlene gave a nod. "Yeah…but she's out of town."

Trudie shook her head, probably unable to believe this was happening right now. Then she gave a soft laugh.

"I was just gonna make tea." Trudie gestured inside. "Would you two like to come inside and have some?"

Charlene shared a look with Elena before she looked back over at Trudie with a smile. "Yeah sure, that would be nice."

"Uh, kitchen's this way." Trudie moved away from the door to let them in before closing the door behind them.

She went into the kitchen to start the tie. Charlene removed her jacket and scarf as Elena did the same with hers.

"She seems nice." Charlene said, and Elena nodded in agreement. But not saying it out, she had this bad feeling about her sister's birthmother's childhood best friend, but she didn't know what it was. However, she felt like she should have.

Elena spoke, loud enough where Trudie could hear her from the kitchen. "I wasn't going to come." She started. "I didn't think I was, but I was driving with Charlene, and I hit this spotlight, and it made me think about when I was learning how to drive and then our mom would always warn me about this blind turn on the life-side."

Charlene smiled at that. She remembered that well. Miranda had warned her about that left side too when she was learning how to drive. It was another fond memory and made her tear up at the thought of it.

"And then, I was thinking about my birth mom, and I – had your address. I'm sorry for barging in."

"We both are." Charlene added.

Trudie walked out of the kitchen and into the room with them. "It's no problem." She reassured. "Um, just a surprise." They sat down at the table in the dining room. "I haven't thought about Isobel and Amanda in years."

"When was the last time you saw Isobel?" Elena asked curiously.

"About seventeen years ago when she left to have you. We kept in touch for a while…but…well, you know, people drift apart."

Charlene cleared her throat to get Trudie's attention and she looked at her. "What about Amanda?"

"Well, I haven't seen her in a long time. Her and Isobel weren't very close after becoming parents, so they went their separate ways after Amanda had you and Megan, and I hadn't heard from her since. I learned about the car accident in the newspaper."

"Oh…" Charlene looked down at the table. She was hoping to hear better news.

"What about Isobel?" Elena questioned, changing the subject. "You don't know where she ended up?"

"She was in Florida for a while. She was on her own. I know it wasn't easy."

"Do you have any idea who my father is?"

"And what about mine and Megan?" Charlene asked as well. Maybe Trudie at least knew that.

Trudie shook her head. "I could never get them to fess up." She answered. "Anyway, Isobel finally pulled it together, got into college on a scholarship."

"Where did she go?"

"Somewhere in North Carolina. Duke, I think. Smart girl, smart school."

Elena smiled.

Charlene couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Elena was getting all this information about her birthmother while she was sitting on the sidelines, getting nothing about hers. She was happy for her sister, she really was, but she hated that she came here with the hopes of learning stuff about her birthmother and he was going to go back with nothing. Nothing to tell Megan. Her thoughts were broken by the sound of the tea kettle sounding.

"Let me just grab that." Trudie said with a smile before getting up and heading into the kitchen.

Once she was gone, Elena turned to Charlene. "Are you okay?"

She forced a smile. "Yeah, just fine, Elena." She knew she sounded forced too, but Elena didn't say anything, so she figured her sister believed her. At least Charlene hoped Elena did.

* * *

"So, it's been a few months, where have you've been?" Matt Donavan asked his newly returned mother, Kelly, as he stood at the stove cooking breakfast.

Kelly didn't look at her son as she stood in front of one of the cabinets in the small kitchen, "Ah, you know, here and there." She answered. Never one place too long." She shrugged her shoulders casually. "You know Pete."

Matt rolled his eyes. "No, actually I don't…" he said. "Because you never brought him around."

There was an awkward silence as Kelly turned around. "So…" she said as she headed over to her son, "The blonde's the new flavor of the week, huh? Sorry I scared her off."

"She's not a flavor, mom, I like her." Matt crossed his arms as he faced his mom, who was now by the small kitchen table.

"So, she's the one?" Kelly teased but it sounded bitter.

Matt shrugged his shoulders. "No, probably not." He admitted as he turned to face the stove again. "But maybe."

Kelly headed over to the refrigerator, taking out a bottle of vodka. "Mattie, seriously, Lezzie Forbes' daughter." She made a noise of disgust as she sat down.

Matt turned around and looked at her, annoyed. "Mom, seriously? Knock it off."

Kelly held up her glass. "Ice please?" she asked in a fake sweet voice.

Matt sighed as he grabbed her glass and opened up the refrigerator. There was a picture on there that showed him, Vicki, and Kelly on it. They didn't look very happy in the picture.

"So…" Matt said as he sat down his mom's drink on the table. He went back over to the stove. "Have you've seen Vic?"

She shook her head. "No." She replied as she poured her drink into her glass. "But don't worry. She'll come home eventually…when she needs something. I played that game before."

"Are you playing it now?"

Kelly looked surprised at the harshness in Matt's voice. "No."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"You're trying to say I need a reason to come back." Matt sighed turning away from his mom and Kelly smiled, "Sit down eat with me."

Matt sat her plate of food down before sitting down in the seat across from his mom. Kelly leaned forward her hand on her chin.

"Tell me everything I've missed, hmm."

This made him smile. Maybe it was a good thing that his mom was back.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **A Few Good Men, Part 2...**

 **Since Grams died, we won't see much of Megan in this episode, but she will be back in the next episode. She'll be returning sooner than Bonnie, just because I can't bare to leave Megan out of the story for long. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed the chapter! Until next time on Surviving Vampire 101!**


	40. A Few Good Men, Part 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the second part of A Few Good Men! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

And keep the votes for the poll coming!

* * *

The tea sat on the table, untouched, as they looked over Trudie's old yearbook. She was telling them all about each picture, mostly the ones of Isobel and her and there was some with Amanda as well, but she seemed to have more pictures with Isobel than anything. According to Trudie, Amanda wasn't very comfortable around cameras, at least being in front of the camera. She loved taking pictures though, so she was actually head of the yearbook committee. From the pictures, Charlene was learning more and more about her and Megan's birthmother, making the jealousy from before disappear from her mind. She might not be getting information about what happened to Amanda after giving birth to her and Megan, but the stuff she was getting was better than nothing. Trudie turned to the next page and it showed the cheerleading picture Jenna had showed them on the internet.

Seeing the picture made the woman smile.

"Ah." Trudie said, "They came to the games for us. The football team hadn't won in years. We were the stars. Well, Izzie and Mandy was. But I was a damn good backup."

Elena smiled, laughing softly. "This is great. Thank you."

"Yeah, thank you." Charlene added with her own smile. "We really appreciate this a lot."

Trudie nodded at them, smiling back. "You're welcome." She glanced at their teacups. "You haven't touched your tea."

"Oh. Yeah."

"Sorry." Charlene apologized, wincing a bit. She didn't mean to be rude, but she wasn't a big fan of tea, to be honest. It didn't mean though that she couldn't drink it.

So, she took a sip. Instantly, it burned her throat, and she cried out, choking and nearly gagging as she tumbled out of her chair.

"Charlene!" Elena exclaimed, jumping up out of her chair to go to her. Trudie looked horrified as Charlene managed to look up at her.

"V-Vervain…the tea…has vervain…" she gagged again.

Elena looked at Trudie with wide eyes. "You know."

"I think you should probably leave." She said tightly.

"Wait, what are you not telling us?"

"Please leave. NOW!"

Elena helped Charlene off the ground, and she held on tight to her sister to make sure she didn't fall over. God, vervain was a bitch. Charlene did have a bad feeling about this woman, but she sure as hell didn't think that Trudie knew about vampires.

They left the house and started heading over to Elena's car. Something caught Charlene's eye from her peripheral vision. It was a man and he was just standing in the middle of the road.

"Elena, go." Charlene shoved her sister towards her car. She let her get in first, eyeing the man suspiciously. He didn't even move a muscle as his eyes caught her own. A shudder went through her. After staring at him for a few more minutes, Charlene finally went into Elena's car and quickly told her drive, so her sister did. She did glance back at the man to see if he was moving now and he was, heading in their direction but wasn't going fast enough, so they were already gone.

* * *

"Bourbon."

Alaric Saltzman looked up from his drink only to see Damon Salvatore ordering a drink. He looked away just as Damon looked at him.

"Behold the teacher." The vampire said with a smirk. "Don't you have papers to grade?"

Alaric glanced back at him, drink in hand. "It's, uh, more fun with a buzz."

He gave a nod. "Most things are." He took a big drink of his bourbon and sat it back down. "Sober's depressing…"

"You don't strike me as someone who gets depressed."

Damon looked at him, titling his head to the side slightly. "You say that like you know me."

"Nope." Alaric said, "Just a hunch."

They looked at each other hard with Damon's eyes narrowing at him suspiciously. The silence was broken by Alaric speaking up.

"You have a good afternoon."

"Not likely."

Without saying, Alaric left him sitting there at the bar. Damon wasn't there by himself for that long when Liz Forbes came up to him.

"Daytime drinking, huh?" she asked, amused.

Damon smirked at her. "It's all the rage." He said as he drank more.

"Listen, I need a favor."

"You ever been in love?

Liz blinked at the sudden change of subject. "Excuse me?"

Damon went on as if he didn't hear her. "Have you ever been so bent on someone just to have your heart ripped out by them?"

"You forget I was married."

"Oh right, gay husband," Damon said, shocking Liz that he knew that. He nodded to the bartender, "She'll have what I'm having." As the bartender poured her a drink, he patted the seat next to him. "Sit down."

Liz sat down and looked over at Damon. "There's fundraiser here tonight that the Founder's con is throwing. The town's most eligible bachelors get raffled for dates, and, well we're short of bachelors."

"Is this what you do when there's no, um…" He lowered his voice. "Vampires? Organize bachelor's raffles?"

Liz laughed. "Oh, trust me, at this point I miss the vampires," she joked. "Look you're the hero of this town Damon. I know most people don't know it, but you are, and you're single and a catch." She looked at him pleadingly, "Please help me out, Carol Lockwood won't let me live it down if I come empty handed."

Damon thought about it for a moment. "You know a room full of woman clamoring to win a date with me. Sounds tasty."

Liz laughed, relieved. "Thank you."

"One thing, can you get information for me on someone?" Damon asked. "Alaric Saltzman, the history teacher. There's just something _off_ about him, and I just—I just wanna make sure that the high school did their homework on this guy."

Liz nodded, "You got it." She scooted her glass of bourbon over to Damon and started to walk away.

"Thank you." He called out before she disappeared.

* * *

Charlene entered Stefan's bedroom, trying to find him to let him know what they did this afternoon. They were also going to that fundraiser at the Grill together, along with Elena. It was a little weird going with her best friend's boyfriend, but Stefan was her friend too, so she didn't think much about it.

"Stefan, are you in here?" Charlene called. She wasn't too loud about it, considering he would have been able to hear her if he was there.

"Better. Me." Damon came walking into the room from the bathroom without a shirt on.

Charlene nearly drooled at the sight. God, she knew he was gorgeous but seeing him like this, he was…she honestly was lost for words. Charlene tried to shake herself out of it.

"Er…hey…you…uh look…" she sputtered out. Of course, she couldn't stop her eyes from trailing him up at down. From his chest down to his navel. His jeans were so low on his waist and if she tugged them down a little bit, she would be able to see all he held.

"Dashing? Gorgeous? Irresistible?" Damon smirked as he walked across the room, closing the space between them. They had been this close before, but it felt even more intimate since he had his shirt off this time around.

He looked down at her, still smirking as if he knew the affect, he had on her, which he probably did. It was hard to hide it.

"No, I wasn't going to say that." Charlene scoffed, putting her hands on his chest to push him away from her. He grabbed her hands to keep them there, surprising her. She stared up at him, not saying anything.

"Then what were you going to say?" Damon smirked, leaning in closer to her.

Her lips parted, and she just wanted to kiss him. She could smell his aftershave and it was just doing things to her, but she couldn't let it happen. Not when he was like this. Charlene managed to get her hands free and she pushed him away from her, but it didn't stop her fingers from trailing down his chest. She could have sworn she saw Damon's eyes close in pleasure, but they had opened too quick to be sure.

"I was going to say you look wasted." Charlene crossed her arms over her chest.

He shrugged. "You say that like it's a bad thing." He said before he walked back towards the mirror in the room, his hips moving sinfully back and forth. Of course, she couldn't stop from looking down at his ass, and she bit her bottom lip.

"Do you know that I am one of Mystic Falls' most eligible bachelors?" He asked with a smirk, snapping her out of her dirty thoughts. He tilted his chin up, trying to look proper while still smirking.

Charlene looked amused. "Ha, seriously?"

"I'm always serious, Charlie." She rolled her eyes in response and he pouted at her. "You're so mean to me."

"Well, it is one of my best qualities." Charlene said with a shrug. It was Damon's turn to roll his eyes at her, then she changed the subject, frowning at him in concern. "How are you doing, Damon? Are you doing okay?"

"Never better. Yep." He answered shortly. Charlene didn't believe him, but she didn't try to get an honest answer out of him as he grabbed a black button-down shirt from the chest beside him and slipped it over his shoulders, covering his bare back. "What can I do for you? I'm a barrel of favors today. It's my newfound purpose – how can I help?"

"I'm not here for you. I was looking for Stefan. We're going to the fundraiser together."

"Are you guys dating now?" Damon mocked.

"Ew, no." Charlene made a face. "He's my best friend's boyfriend. There's girl code for a reason. Elena's going too. Don't sound so jealous."

He rolled his eyes, scoffing. "I'm not jealous, and even if I was, there would be nothing to be jealous about."

"Now, you're being the mean one." Charlene said, annoyed.

Damon ignored her as he tried to button up his shirt. He tried a couple more times before turning around to face Charlene.

"Help a guy out, will you?" he asked, looking hopeful. "Can't get this?" He tried to get the buttons through again but failed.

Charlene sighed as she went over to him. She grabbed the front of his shirt and started to button it up for him, the tips of her fingers brushing against his skin. As she focused on buttoning, she could feel his gaze on her, but she tried to ignore it.

"Well, I guess since Stefan's not here, I guess I can tell you what I did today." Charlene said. He probably wouldn't care but she needed to tell someone. "We, Elena and I, went over to Elena's birthmother's best friend's house, and she told us all about Elena's birth mom and about mine…" She would have gone on, to tell him about the fact she had known about vampires, but Damon cut her off.

"Who cares."

"What?" Charlene looked up at him, startled.

"They left you guys. They suck."

Charlene clenched her jaw. What he said was probably true, but she didn't need to hear that.

"You don't have to be such a dick." Charlene fumed, letting go of his shirt as she stepped back from him.

He shrugged uncaringly and she honestly wanted to smack him right then and there, but the sound of Elena's voice from behind stopped her from doing unfortunately. Charlene turned around to find her sister there along with Stefan.

"Hey." She smiled at them both, heading over to them.

Elena glanced at her, then at Damon. "What's going on in here?"

Charlene waved her off. "Just Damon being Damon."

"Ah."

Just then, Damon spoke up as he slipped on his jacket, groaning. "I need a bigger jacket. Wow. You know, an occasional sorority girl might, um, you know help fill you out a little." He tossed the jacket on Stefan's bed and buttoned the rest of the shirt up with ease.

This made Charlene realize he was faking it and she frowned at him as he left the room. Did he do that just to get her close to him again? That made her heart flutter a little, but she was mostly annoyed.

"He's just fine, isn't he?" she asked Stefan.

"He's Damon."

Charlene rolled her eyes at that. Yes…yes, he was.

Elena crossed her arms, glaring at the spot where Damon once was. "Maybe this heartache will be good for him. It'll remind him he has one, even if it doesn't beat."

"Won't hold my breath."

Elena smiled and laughed at that before she looked over at Charlene. "Did you tell him?" she asked her, glancing at Stefan.

"Tell me what?"

"Well…" Charlene cleared her throat. "We went to go see Trudie Peterson." His face became stony. "Sorry Stefan, we would have said something to you about it, but we went there on a whim."

Stefan said nothing for a moment. "How was it?"

"It went okay until I drank the tea, she gave us. It had vervain in it." Charlene explained worriedly. "She knows about vampires, Stefan. That can't be a coincidence."

Stefan gave a sigh. "It isn't. This is Alaric's wife." He took out a picture out, and handed it to Elena, who took it.

She looked down at the picture, and she made a face, one that made Charlene realize the picture held Isobel. When Elena showed her the picture, she knew it was true.

"That's her…" Charlene said quietly.

"He gave this to you?" Elena asked Stefan.

He nodded. "Everything he knows about vampires, he learned from her. He believes she was killed by one."

Elena's eyes went wide at that. "What?"

"You're kidding…" Charlene breathed.

"Listen guys…" Stefan started off softly. "There's a lot about Isobel that Alaric can tell you, but I need you two to hold off a little while before you talk to him."

"What? Why?" Elena questioned, startled that Stefan was asking that of them.

He sighed. "I know it's a lot to ask of you, but will you do that for me?"

Elena hesitated for a moment. "Okay…"

Charlene didn't want to agree to that, but he was right, it wasn't the time to ask him about it. So, she finally nodded in agreement.

However, it didn't stop her from wishing that they could talk to him about it. Isobel was the only thing that still connected her to Amanda, and if she couldn't learn more stuff about her birthmother, she could at least know about her real aunt. But for now, they were going to go to the fundraiser and pretend everything was normal.

Easier said than done, right?

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **A Few Good Men, Part 3...**

 **Next time, the drama comes in and this episode ends! So that means we'll only have seven more episodes until we're finished with season one! Yay! Though it feels like forever from now, but I'm excited that we're getting closer to it cause that means the poll will be over. Though from what I've seen, it looks like Klaus is gonna win by a landslide, but you never know lol. Anyway, please leave reviews and let me know what you thought, especially of the steamy scene between Charlene and Damon ;)**

 **Until next time on Surviving Vampires 101!**


	41. A Few Good Men, Part 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the second part of A Few Good Men! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

And keep the votes for the poll coming!

* * *

Carol smiled brightly at the large crowd in front of her. "Tickets for the raffle are now on sale. All proceeds benefit the annual Founder's Day celebration!" she announced from her microphone in the Mystic Grill where the fundraiser from being held.

In the crowd, there was Alaric standing there and he had a 'bachelor number 4' sticker plastered on his chest. Jenna noticed him right away, of course and came up to join him.

"That's a good look for you." She joked with a smile.

Alaric smiled sheepishly. "What? Embarrassed and uncomfortable?"

Jenna laughed. "Yep that's…that's the one."

Alaric looked at Jenna with an apologetic look on his face, remembering their last conversation. "Hey, look, I'm, uh, sorry about earlier," he said. "It was just kind of a—a shock."

"Well, I'm sorry for dropping it on you," Jenna told him sincerely. "But I felt like you should know."

Alaric nodded, "No. I get it."

Jenna nodded back, then bit on her bottom lip nervously for a moment before she spoke up again. "At some point maybe you and Elena can talk…and maybe even Charlene. I'm sure they'd like to hear about Isobel…what she was like…"

"Yeah." Alaric said slowly, an uncertain look on his face.

Jenna quickly corrected herself. "Uh…or not. No pressure."

"I don't know if that's a…a great idea." Alaric said, shaking his head. "At least not—not for a while."

Jenna nodded. She understood completely.

* * *

At the boarding house, Damon headed over Stefan, slipping on his jacket, "So, where'd our girls go?"

"On the way to the Grill." Stefan responded before changing the subject. "I, uh, wanted to talk to you." He took out the picture of Isobel that he showed the girls and showed it to Damon, regarding him with a serious look on his face. "This is the woman, Isobel, from North Carolina. Remember her now?"

"Who wants to know?" Damon said with a suspicious look on his face.

"I do."

"Who _else_ wants to know?"

"Did you kill her?" Stefan asked.

Damon looked at the picture once more while Stefan waited for his answer before he looked back at his brother, and shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry. Don't know her." He walked past his brother but didn't walk far as he turned around to face Stefan with a smirk. "Hey, are you coming? The real housewives of Mystic Falls await."

* * *

Charlene stood inside the grill near the entrance with her friends, smiling and laughing as they enjoyed the fundraiser. It hadn't started yet, but it was still a good time.

Stefan hadn't arrived yet. She wasn't sure where he was, however, she wasn't worried about it. The only thing missing was Megan. It was strange not having her here at one of the many events at Mystic Falls as Megan loved going to them and she was usually the life of the party.

"He's already been hit on, like, thirty-five times." Caroline was saying to them, talking about Matt as she laughed loudly. She was standing behind this podium, selling the raffle tickets for the fundraiser. "He's total cougar bait." She giggled at the embarrassed look on her boyfriend's face as he shook his head.

Charlene stifled a laugh as Elena smiled, amused.

"Impressive." She teased.

"Very." Charlene agreed with a grin, nudging Matt in the side as she was standing next to him. "That's quite an accomplishment."

"More like embarrassing." Matt told her.

She nodded in agreement. "Well, that too."

Caroline laughed before she perked up, seeing someone enter the Grill. Charlene looked to see who it was, and it was Kelly Donavan. Matt's mom. And best friend of her and Elena's mother Miranda. Charlene had no idea she had came back and the blonde honestly wasn't excited to see her. She had never really liked Kelly, not after she abandoned Matt and Vicki, but especially Matt, leaving him to fend for himself and take on the responsibility that a parent should be.

"Hi Mrs. Donavan." Caroline greeted her brightly as she came up to them.

Kelly looked at her with distaste in her eyes and completely ignored her as she looked at Charlene and Elena, smiling brightly. "Elena and Charlene, honeys!"

Elena smiled back. "Hi Kelly." They shared hugs briefly, then Kelly hugged Charlene, who hugged back, not wanting to be rude.

"Long time, no see." Kelly said, smiling.

"It has been." Charlene told her. It was the older woman's fault for it being so long since they last saw each other.

"How are you doing?" Elena asked.

"Oh, same old, same old." Kelly shrugged as she glanced over at Matt. "Oh. Matty tells me you broke his heart."

Elena looked lost for words.

"Mom." Matt said in a warning tone, glancing over at Caroline briefly.

"Just kidding. Calm down." Kelly rolled her eyes, even though it sounded like she wasn't kidding at all. In Charlene's opinion at least. "He found his rebound girl."

Caroline automatically looked hurt, and Charlene couldn't help but glare at the older woman a bit as she moved over to her friend to rub her on the arm in comfort. Her friend looked at her with a small smile.

"Oh." Kelly looked at Caroline as if noticing her for the first time as she pulled out some money from her pocket. "Here sweetheart. However, many that'll buy." She handed it over to Caroline, who took it from her with a small smile. "I just hope I don't get bachelor number three. I dated him in high school. Not impressive. In anyway." The last part was said in a whisper as Kelly made a face.

Matt shook his head, embarrassed, as Caroline handed the raffle tickets over to his mom.

"Very exciting." Kelly winked before sauntering over in the direction of the bar.

 _Bitch._ Charlene thought to herself, wishing she could say it out loud, but of course she couldn't, not with Matt there. She shook her head and looked over at her sister to find staring off to the side, so she followed her gaze before landing at Alaric. He was staring at the both of them. This was the first time seeing him since learning about him and Isobel. It was kind of awkward, but Charlene managed a small smile and a wave. She got nothing in return as he walked off and she sighed, looking over at Elena to see her looking dissatisfied by how he reacted. Charlene patted her sister's shoulder in comfort.

"Do you want anything to drink?" She asked her sister.

"Just a coke."

Charlene nodded and headed over to the bar where the bartender was already.

"What can I get for you, sweetheart?" he asked as she sat down on the stool in front of him.

"Just a coke…and a bourbon too." Charlene had to compel him for that one. It wasn't long before her drinks were set down in front of her.

"That'll be five dollars."

She went to take out her wallet to pay for it, but a familiar voice stopped her.

"Let me get that." Charlene looked over and there was Damon in the seat next to her, sliding five dollars over to the bartender as he smirked at her. She rolled her eyes with a frown as she was still kind of mad at him for pretending, he was drunk just so she would be near him. Though it was more flattering than anything, but he didn't have to know that.

"You didn't have to do that." Charlene told him, rolling her eyes. "I could have paid for it myself."

"Oh, come on, Charlene, be a little appreciative." Damon pouted at her. "You could at least say thank you. You should be flattered."

Charlene snorted. "Oh really?" She rose a brow at him.

"Yeah. I never pay for drinks for just anyone."

She just stared at him for a moment before sighing. "Fine, thank you for paying for the drinks."

Damon smirked proudly. "You're very welcome, Charlie." She didn't bother correcting him, knowing it wouldn't do any good.

"Okay, well see ya." Charlene grabbed her drinks and went to leave, but Damon's voice stopped her.

"Hey, I think you dropped this."

She turned around and found Damon standing in front of her, holding out a raffle ticket.

Charlene stared at it, confused. "What? That's not mine."

"Are you sure?"

"…yeah. I never even bought one."

"Mm…well keep it anyway…" Damon moved closer to her, a little too close, but she didn't complain as her breath caught in her throat. He grabbed her hand, slipping the raffle ticket in her hand, then he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Who knows, you might get lucky and win a date with me." Before she could say anything, he moved back with a smirk before walking away.

Charlene stared after him for a moment, then she glanced at the raffle ticket in her hand. She didn't stare at it for long as she slid it into her back pocket, deciding to keep it. Not because she could possibly win a date with Damon, at least that's what she was telling herself.

Shaking her head, she walked back over to Elena and the rest of her friends.

* * *

"I got the big date planned," Damon told Carol Lockwood with a flirty smile on his lips. "It's a romantic dinner, secluded spot somewhere woodsy." Even though he was telling her this, he really was wanting Charlene to win that date with him.

Carole smiled. "You're making me think I should buy a ticket."

Deciding to just let her think that, Damon smirked as he leaned forward towards Carol. "Well you are in charge," he said. "You could always rig it." From the corner of his eye, he saw Liz and he looked back at Carol, touching her arm. "Pardon me." He headed over to Liz and they met each other half-way as he crossed his arms over his chest. "How's it look?

"He checks out." Liz told him. "Couple of speeding tickets. It's a rough story, though. Turns out his wife went missing a few years back in North Carolina."

This caught Damon's attention. "North Carolina? Does she have a name?"

Liz nodded as she flipped to next paper, showing the picture of a woman. It was the same one that Stefan had showed him.

"Yeah, her name was Isobel."

He stared at the picture. "Isobel…" He looked around for a moment before spotting the person he was looking for. It was Alaric, and he was walking with some people.

Damon smirked.

* * *

The fundraiser was underway finally. Charlene thought it would never start, even though even with it going on, it was pretty boring, watching all the men being listed off.

Her mind was elsewhere as she fiddled with the raffle ticket Damon had given her. She thought about what he had planned if the ticket did, in fact, get picked. Would he take her on an actual date? Dinner and everything? What about afterwards? Would he take her up to his bedroom, and would they do what Charlene had been wanting to do ever since she met the dangerous Salvatore?

At this, Charlene shook her head and scoffed at her thoughts. What was she thinking? Was she really willing to forget everything Damon had done, just for the chance of going out with him? No. No she was not.

Focusing her attention on Carol, introducing the men. She was now on man number three; the one Kelly had mentioned going out with.

"And what do you do, Bachelor Number 3?" Carol asked brightly into the microphone.

"I'm a plumper." The man responded plainly, not sounding at all excited about the occupation he had, and who could blame him.

"Well, isn't that wonderful?" Carol said with an overdone smile. "We could always use more plumbers. Moving on." She moved over to Alaric and looked at him, still smiling, but it looked more relaxed this time. "Number 4, 'Alaric Saltzman'. Wow. That's a mouthful." She chuckled, and the crowd laughed along with her. "What do you do, Alaric?"

As she put the microphone in front of him, Alaric looked completely awkward up there, not at all how he normally looked when he was teaching a class. It was strange to see him like that, Charlene thought.

He cleared his throat before he spoke up. "I'm a teacher at Mystic Falls High."

"Oh, beauty and brains, ladies." Carol complimented, giving the crowd a charming smile. "This one's a keeper." Alaric awkwardly smiled in response. "What do you teach?"

"History."

"History." She repeated, then smiled. "Oh, well, give us a fun fact about Mystic Falls, something crazy."

Alaric glanced at Damon, who smirked at him and placed his hand up to his ear, sarcastically. Charlene rolled her eyes at his response. Did he really think Alaric would reveal vampires to Mystic Falls?

"Uh, well…" Alaric paused, and Carol pulled the microphone away.

"He's probably saving the best stories for his date." She joked, then moved down the line to Damon, who was the last bachelor. "And last, but not least, Damon Salvatore. We don't have much on you."

Suddenly, Elena nudged Charlene on the side and gestured. She followed her gesture, spotting Stefan in the middle of the Grill. Charlene smiled at the sight of him and she waved at her. He smiled back at her, waving back.

Charlene smiled again before turning her attention back to the stage to Damon, who of course, was smirking. She couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Well, I'm tough to fit on a card." Damon said smugly and he winked in Charlene's direction.

The blonde ignored him, rolling her eyes again.

"Do you have any hobbies, like to travel?" Carol asked.

"Oh, yeah. L.A., New York. Couple of years ago, I was in North Carolina. Near the Duke Campus, actually. I think – I think Alaric went to school there. Didn't you Ric?" He smirked as he looked over at the teacher, and he looked back at him.

Charlene frowned, not knowing where Damon was going with this. And maybe she should have.

"Yeah, 'cause I – I know your wife did."

This sentence made the whole world just stop as she stared at Damon with shock in her eyes. W-what? Did he just… Looking at Elena's face, yes. Yes, he did. Charlene couldn't believe it. Damon was the vampire who killed Elena's birthmother…her aunt… She was just as upset as Elena was. She could see it on her sister's face.

"Elena…" Charlene started off, hesitating on touching Elena's shoulder. She ended up doing it and her sister flinched at her touch.

Damon continued on, ignoring the crowd's reaction. "I had a drink with her once. She was – she was a great girl. I ever tell you that? Cause she was – delicious. Mmm!"

By now, Elena's eyes were filling with tears. Immediately, Charlene went into protective sister mode as she put her arm around Elena's shoulders, turning her around, towards the entrance of the Grill. Jenna took notice to this.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked.

"We just need some air, that's all." Charlene forced a smile. "We'll be back." Without another word, they headed out of the Grill with the blonde's arm still wound tightly around Elena's shoulders. They walked straight past Stefan and once they were outside, her sister broke away from Charlene's grip and began pacing around.

"This can't be real…this can't be real…" Elena mumbled, her fingers running through her hair repeatedly.

Charlene opened her mouth to say something, but the sound of Stefan's voice stopped her.

"Elena. Charlene."

The latter turned around to face him. "Stefan…" she said quietly. "Is it true? Did Damon kill her?"

He said nothing for a moment. "I don't know what happened." He said with a sigh. "Alaric said they never found her body."

Finally, Elena stopped pacing and turned around to face him. "Oh, my God. Stefan." She breathed.

"I know. I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you, both of you." Stefan glanced at Charlene, who met his gaze. "But I just – I wanted to know more."

The blonde didn't say anything, but it didn't last long as she let out a heavy sigh. "I just can't believe this. I guess I have to add this to the list of bad things Damon has done to hurt me, and my family…and here I was feeling sorry for him, about this whole Abigail thing. And here he goes again, making me regret it. He's never going to change, is he?" She was mostly talking to herself, glancing down at her feet as she mumbled her words. She didn't have to look to know Stefan was staring at her.

Charlene looked up Stefan, but ignored the look on his face. "It's whatever…" she mumbled.

"He doesn't know about the connection to you." Stefan said softly as Elena crossed her arms and stared at him. "I thought about confronting him, but he's already so on edge."

"Why are you protecting him?" Elena demanded.

"Because you're not the only one hoping that he might change." Stefan answered softly, looking straight at Charlene.

She stared right back, starting to feel emotional even though she shouldn't be. Damon was never going to change…it was stupid to hope that he would.

Elena shook her head as she looked over Stefan's shoulder but then she froze, gripping Charlene's arm. "Charlie…it's him!"

She whirled around and it sure was, and he was watching them.

"Who?" Stefan asked, confused as he looked to see him.

"That man…he was outside of Trudie's house." Charlene told him, staring at the man with a glare as she stayed close to her sister protectively.

"Get back inside." Stefan said as he pushed them both towards the direction of the Grill. "Come on."

Giving the man one last glare, Charlene helped Elena get inside and Stefan went off somewhere once they were inside. She ended up bumping into Damon, who smirked.

"Whoa, Charlie, easy there, wait until your ticket gets called." He teased.

Charlene glared at him. "Save it, Damon!"

His smirk faltered a bit, seeing the shattered look on her face behind her glare. Before he could say anything, Elena interrupted.

"Did you enjoy that?" she snarled. "Rubbing it in Alaric Saltzman's face?"

"What?" he asked, confused.

Elena just shook her head and walked around him, hands in her hair. Damon watched her leave before turning back towards Charlene.

"What is she talking about?"

"Just leave me alone." She said quietly. "And stay away from me." She tried to move past him, but Damon grabbed her arm. "Let go of me!" She glared heatedly at him as she roughly pulled her arm away.

"What's your problem?" Damon asked, completely confused.

Charlene didn't even want to bother explaining, but if she had to. "Remember earlier when I was telling you about Elena's birthmother, my aunt, the one who gave her up? The one you said sucked because she left?" He slowly nodded. "You know what her name was…it was Isobel." His face faltered and he stepped forward, but she quickly moved back away from him. "No. I told you to stay away from me, I can't even look at you right now… I honestly really thought that there was something good about you, and I can't even think why I thought that, but I did. I was so wrong though and so stupid to think you would change. And though as much as I hate to admit it, I was starting to like you but now…I look at you and all I see is hate." This ended her speech and she brushed by Damon, bumping into his shoulder before she chased after Elena and ended up back outside of the Grill.

She moved over to her sister, grabbing her into a hug. Elena buried her face into her chest.

"I hate him, Charlene. I hate him." She mumbled into her chest.

"I know…" She whispered as she rubbed Elena's back in comfort. "I hate him too."

"Are you guys okay?" Stefan's voice asked, breaking the moment as they turned to look at him as they kept their arms around each other.

Charlene gave him a watery smile. "I don't know…but I think we will be. We'll get through this together." She squeezed Elena tightly and her sister nodded into her shoulder.

Stefan gave them a weak smile. "Okay, come on. Let's get you guys home."

Charlene let go of Elena and grabbed her hand. They started to leave, but Elena stopped abruptly causing her to stop. It was the man again. Immediately Charlene moved in front of her sister protectively and so did Stefan. The man didn't even flinch.

"I have a message for you." He said in a monotone, staring at Elena.

Immediately, Charlene knew he had been compelled.

"What?" Elena questioned, confused.

"Who are you?" Stefan demanded.

"Stop looking."

"Stop looking for what?" Elena was still confused, and so was Charlene.

"She doesn't want to know you. She doesn't want to talk to you."

"Isobel?" Elena asked, her eyes widened a little.

"You need to stop looking. Do you understand?"

"She's alive? Does that mean she's a…" Elena started inch forward, but Charlene stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"Don't Elena, he's under compulsion." She warned. Her sister glanced over at her, then back at the man.

"Do you understand?" He repeated.

Elena nodded her head. "Yes. I do."

"Good." The man looked down at the street. "I'm done now." He stepped backwards into the road and a truck blared its horn but ran into the man with a sickening crash.

Charlene brought her hand to her mouth, shocked as Elena gasped in horror and grabbed onto Stefan.

After a moment, a crowd started to form around the man. The chaos around them made Charlene not notice that Elena had picked up a phone from off of the ground.

They made it back home, and Charlene took a shower and dried her hair before heading to Elena's room to check on her sister. She stopped when she heard her on the phone.

"Isobel?" Elena breathed.

Charlene said nothing as she listened in but there was nothing else to hear. She must have hung up. Charlene heard her sister's tears and she knocked on the door softly, but she didn't wait to hear Elena invite her in. She went inside, climbed into bed, and hugged her sister, letting her cry into her shoulder.

* * *

Harper was walking through the woods until he came upon a large house. He got to the door and knocked on it twice. The woman that he saw at the park appeared and she opened the door, smiling at him.

"Pearl!" she called. "It's Harper!"

Pearl smiled as she went to stand in front of Harper with Anna right behind her. "I'm glad you found us." she said to Harper softly. "Ms. Gibbons." At the sound of her name, an older woman appeared behind Pearl and Anna. "This gentleman is a friend of mine. May he come in?"

"Any friend of Pearl is a friend of mine," Ms. Gibbons said in a dazed voice. It was obvious that she had been compelled. "Please do. Come in."

Harper nodded as she left. Pearl smiled and turned to her daughter.

"Annabelle, close the door, please."

Anna nodded and Harper walked inside as the young woman closed the door behind him.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **There Goes the Neighborhood, Part 1...**

 **And there's the end of A Few Good Men! I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **Also to answer a guest review, yes Charlene is Damon's love interest for most of the story. I'm not sure if they're going to be endgame so I'm bringing Klaus or Elijah in because I want her to have at least one more love interest so yeah. Anyway, please leave reviews and let me know what you thought! Until next time on Surviving Vampires 101! ;)**


	42. There Goes the Neighborhood, Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the first part of There Goes the Neighborhood! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

And keep the votes for the poll coming!

Also, Megan is finally back. Yay!

* * *

Charlene was startled awake by someone jumping on her bed.

"Charlie!" the voice squealed happily as she sat up in bed. She wiped her tired eyes before opening them to find herself staring into her best friend's grinning face.

"Megan!" Charlene immediately cried out. "You're back!"

"Hell, yeah I am!" Megan cheered happily, pulling her best friend into tight hug. "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too!" Charlene grinned as she hugged Megan back just as tightly. "It's been horrible without you here."

Megan's grip on her tightened even more. "I know…I heard about what happened." She pulled back, frowning. "I can't believe Damon killed our aunt."

"Don't remind me." Charlene shook her head sadly. "I really thought he changed…"

"Honestly, Char, I don't know why you thought he did. He's Damon. He's never going to change."

Charlene didn't say anything. She knew Megan was right.

"But I know you always try to see the good in people, especially in those you really care about…like Damon."

"I don't care about him." Charlene denied.

Megan gave her a look. "Charlie, you're my best friend. I know when you care about someone. I was the first one to know about your crush on Tyler Lockwood. And you care about Damon, even if you don't want to admit it."

"It's not that I don't want to admit it…" Charlene started softly, pulling out of Megan's grip to stand up to her feet. "I can't."

"I know." Megan stood up too and patted her best friend's shoulder. "And you don't have to. Let's just go to school and try to live a normal life, and maybe this time, pretend that there is no such things as vampires."

Charlene turned to face Megan with a slight smile. "Easier said than done in this town. Especially when your best friend and boyfriend are said vampires."

"I meant vampires other than you guys, duh." Megan rolled her eyes playfully. "I'm making an exception for you two." She clapped her hands together. "So, get dressed before we're late. I'll be waiting for you in the car."

Charlene laughed softly. "Okay. See you there."

Megan flashed her a grin before skipping out of the room. Her best friend seemed to be doing okay with everything but of course, Megan was always good at pretending.

Shaking her head, Charlene went to her closet and got dressed before going downstairs to the kitchen where she saw Elena making coffee.

"Do you need a ride to school?" she asked her sister, grabbing her backpack. "Megan's waiting outside."

Elena shook her head. "No, it's okay. Caroline's picking me up in a little bit."

"Okay…are you doing okay?" Charlene hadn't really talked to Elena about the phone call to Isobel since it happened.

"I'm fine." Just like with Megan, Elena was good at pretending she was okay.

Charlene decided not to press her as she nodded. "Alright, if you're sure. I'll see you at school."

"Okay."

She gave her sister a small smile before heading outside to join Megan outside in the car to get to school.

* * *

"Hey Mom!" Matt called, knocking on his mom's bedroom door twice. The door swung open revealing Kelly, who looked like she had gotten ran over by a cab.

She rubbed her eyes. "What?" she grumbled. "I'm trying to sleep."

"I was just making sure you were alive."

Kelly gave her son an exasperated look before she heaved a sigh. "I'm sorry, sweetie. It was a late night. My head is throbbing." She closed the door and headed to the kitchen as Matt spoke and followed her.

"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't bring the party home," he said. "And I'm pretty sure the neighbors would appreciate it too." He went to sit down on the small kitchen table.

His mom rolled her eyes as she went over to the coffee pot where there was already some in it. "It wasn't a party; it was one guy." She protested. "Don't be so judgy." She poured coffee into her cup.

"Well, I talked to Roberta at the Grill and there's still bartending job open if you want to…you know…get a job."

Kelly sat down across from Matt as she took a sip of her coffee and sat the cup down on the surface before she spoke up. "I figured she would still be pissed about the last time I worked there."

"I think she's desperate." Matt said with a shrug.

Kelly nodded. "I'll check it out."

He looked at her, surprised. "Really?"

She laughed. "Don't act so surprised."

"Well, I mean…" Matt paused for a moment. "I didn't know how long you planned on sticking around."

"Well, there's back rent due…"

Matt chuckled a bit. "There's back everything mom."

"Like I said, I'll check it out." Kelly told her son with a smile. Then, there was knock at the door. "Who's that?"

"Uh…it's Caroline." His mother made a face, and Matt gave her a look. "Easy." Kelly raised her eyebrows at him but didn't say anything. "Yeah, come in!" He turned his body towards the door.

Caroline opened the door and closed it behind her, smiling at Kelly brightly. "Hi Ms. Donavan."

She ignored her as she got up from her seat and left the kitchen leaving Matt and Caroline alone.

"Well, we're going to be late," Matt said quickly, breaking the awkward silence. He headed over to Caroline. "So, let's get going."

"Yeah…"

"Hey." Matt greeted her with a smile.

Caroline forced a smile, pretending Kelly giving her the cold shoulder wasn't bothering her. "Hey."

He kissed her cheek. "How are you?"

"Good." Caroline said as she took a hold of his hand and they left his house to go to school.

* * *

Once her and her best friend got to school, Megan separated from Charlene to find Stefan. They might have talked on the phone every day, but it wasn't the same as seeing him in person, so she was over the moon about seeing her boyfriend again.

He was at his locker and she grinned as she tiptoed behind him and covered his eyes with her hands.

"Guess who?" Megan sang happily.

"Mm…I don't know…" Stefan teased, even though he clearly did. "Is it…Charlene…the best friend of my girlfriend, whose out of town?"

Megan rolled her eyes at his response, however, she grinned as she cocked her head to the side. "Do you really think my best friend would be trying to surprise my boyfriend like this?"

"Probably not. Can I get another guess?"

"If you get it right this time." Megan said, laughing. "Then yes."

"I won't. Is it my girlfriend?"

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!" Megan cheered, giggling as she removed her hands from Stefan's eyes. He turned around to face her and she moved to kiss him. She smiled into the kiss, and she felt him do the same.

When they pulled back, Megan hugged him tightly, burying her face into his chest as she took in the smell of it. It had been hard being separated from him, even if it hadn't been a long time. It definitely felt like it, especially with everything that happened while she was away. Megan hated the fact that she wasn't there for her cousins, but it was nothing she could have done about. She had to be there for Bonnie too even if the Bennett witch was currently pissed off at her, blaming her for being apart of Grams' death.

"I've missed you, Megan." Stefan mumbled into her hair.

"Mm…I missed you too…" she sighed happily before they pulled back from their hug. "So much." She smiled as she caressed his face and kissed him again briefly. "I don't even want to ask, but how your psychopath of a brother?" She was equally pissed off at Damon for what he did. How could she not be?

Stefan frowned, but not because of what she called him, since he knew it was true. "Damon hasn't said a word to me. Every time I try to talk to him, he shuts me down."

"Mm…well do you know if he's still trying to find Abigail?" Megan questioned curiously, leaning against the lockers beside her.

"I don't know. He waited a hundred and forty-five years only to find out that Abigail could not care less. I mean, it's gotta hurt, right?"

"Yeah, to someone who has a caring bone in their body, which Damon does not." Megan grumbled, rolling her eyes. He stared at her and sighed. Before he said anything, she spoke up. "Sorry. I'm just so mad at him for what he did. I know I wasn't there when all of it went down…but I'm just as mad at him as Elena and Charlene is. He killed our aunt, Elena's mom…yeah she's a vampire, but it still hurts, and it hurts me to see what it did to Elena and to Charlene…and…"

Stefan stopped her, placing his hands on her shoulder. "Stop. I know." He told her softly. She smiled at him weakly.

"I hate that I came back here, and everything is just as worse as it was when I left. I really just want to just forget everything for a moment, act like normal teenagers, and have fun. And try to get through the day without having to deal with it all. No vampires."

"At all?" Stefan teased, putting an arm around her shoulder as they walked to class together.

Megan grinned as she leaned into Stefan's side and put her arm around his waist. "No vampires, but you and Charlene."

"Well, good." He smiled down at her. "Because I hate to miss out on all the fun we're going to be having. So, when do we start?"

She laughed, hugging him to her. "God, I missed you." She leaned up, kissing his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder.

He shook his head at her, smiling, as he kissed the top of her head.

Finally, it was the end of the school day and Megan stood at her locker with Stefan. Caroline was there too, trying to convince the both of them to go on a double date with her and Matt. She honestly didn't know why the blonde was asking her and Stefan, but she figured that she and Stefan were the only couple that Caroline knew personally.

"I'm thinking nothing huge, just dinner at the Grill, maybe a late movie." She said, almost pleadingly.

"Caroline, I don't know." Megan told her, leaning against her locker. "I just got back…and…"

"Please Megan." Caroline pleaded. "I really need this night out with Matt, so I won't be stuck watching a movie at Matt's house with his mom in the other room."

"Kelly's back? When did that happen?" Charlene failed to mention that.

"Meg, don't change the subject, please just go on this date. For me?"

Megan hesitated.

"I think it's a great idea." Stefan said.

Her head snapped over to him, surprised. "You do? Seriously?"

"Yeah. A nice evening out with friends. Sounds fun, and _normal_."

This is what she had been talking about. "Okay." Megan relented. "A double date it is, then."

"Thank you!" Caroline cried out in relief, grabbing her into a hug. She laughed a little as she hugged her back.

"Yeah, yeah, don't say I don't do anything for ya."

"Trust me, I won't." Caroline giggled, and pulled back from the hug before looking at them. "Okay, we'll see you tonight?"

Megan nodded. "Tonight." She confirmed.

"Okay!" she beamed at them again, then she turned on her heel and walked off down the hall.

"Well, I guess we're going on a double date." Megan said, looking over at Stefan.

"Guess so."

"Okay."

* * *

Charlene would have stayed far away from the boarding house, but she realized that she didn't have her phone with her, and the last time she remembered having it was at the boarding house, so here she was.

Hopefully she was in and out quickly and that she didn't run into Damon. The last thing she needed was to see him.

She went inside without knocking, and headed in the direction of the living room, but she had to stop at the sound of Damon's voice. Charlene winced. Great, she was hoping he wasn't here. She could have left then and there and just waited to find her phone some other time when he wasn't here. And she would have, but the sound of unfamiliar voice stopped her. It was then Charlene decided to really pay attention to the conversation that was going on.

"An invitation wasn't necessary." The voice said in an oddly calm voice. "I'm surprised no living person resides here. Is it just you and your brother?"

"Yeah." Charlene recognized the voice this time. It was Anna, so she guessed the other woman was her mother. "How do you keep out unwelcomed vampire? Like the one hiding behind the wall over there?"

Charlene winced as she said this. Well, her cover was busted.

"What are you talking about?" Damon questioned. Slowly, she moved away from her hiding spot and he blinked, "Charlene?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Er, hi. I'm, just here, for uh…my…" she spotted her phone on the table in front of the couch. "Cell phone, sorry." She quickly crossed over, grabbed her phone, and started to leave but stopped, noticing Pearl staring at her. It made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

Damon seemed to notice her discomfort as he turned to face Pear and Anna. "Well Charlene is a special case…but normally, I kill them." He automatically charged towards Pearl and tried to strangle her, but it barely did anything to her as she shoved him off her and onto the couch before her.

He looked up at her, and Pearl just stared at him.

"Have a seat, Damon." She finally said. "I was hoping we could have a word, and your more than welcome to stay." The last thing was directed towards Charlene and it was unexpected.

But she decided to agree to it, just because Pearl kind of scared her. She settled down next to Damon and forced herself not to look at him, but she felt him glance at her. However, it was brief as he returned his gaze back to Pearl. Since she was shoulder to shoulder to him, she felt him shrug his shoulder.

"Sure." He agreed.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **There Goes the Neighborhood, Part 2...**

 **SO decided for those people who don't have accounts to vote for the Original pairing, be my guest and vote in your review. Klaus or Elijah? Take your pick and your votes will be added to the currents one. Anyway, please leave reviews and tell me what you thought of the chapter! Until time on Surviving Vampires 101!**


	43. There Goes the Neighborhood, Part 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the second part of There Goes the Neighborhood! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

And keep the votes for the poll coming!

* * *

Charlene sat awkwardly next to Damon as Pearl spoke up after seeing they were settled down and ready to listen.

"We've taken up residence at a farmhouse just outside of town." She explained. "It'll suffice for now."

"Wait, what?" Charlene blurted out, shocked. "All 25 vampires are out of the tomb?"

Pearl pursed her lips at her, looking like she regretted letting her stay for the conversation. "Not all, some." As if that made it better. "I imagine that a few already left town. Others are probably still in the woods or like us acclimating."

Damon shared a look with Charlene before turning his gaze to Pearl and Anna. "How did they get out of the tomb?" he asked.

"I think the witch…"

Charlene cut her off, "Her name is Bonnie."

Anna rolled her eyes in response as she went on, "Screwed up that part of her hocus pocus."

Charlene didn't know what to say to that. She still couldn't believe the tomb vampires were out and about…the spell had failed. Which meant that Grams died for nothing. Charlene's eyes glanced down at her feet.

"I understand from Anna that the foundering families still have a secret council?"

"And you're a part of it." Anna added, nodding towards Damon.

He scoffed. "That's ridiculous."

"I've been in Mystic Falls since the comet, Damon." Anna informed him, even though that was old news. "I'm up to speed."

"And so am I." Pearl said, "And now that you've infiltrated the council, I'll need to know everything they know. Starting with a listing of the names of all the council members and their families."

"And _everyone_ you've supplied with vervain."

"Yes, that will have to stop _immediately_."

"Sorry, but I'm confused." Charlene spoke up, getting Pearl's attention. "But what's the point? What are you trying to achieve by doing all that?"

For some reason, Pearl smirked a little at this. "Curious thing, aren't you? Abigail was the same way."

She made a little face at that. She didn't appreciate being compared to Abigail. They may look alike but personality wise, they had nothing in common.

Pearl didn't say anything else on the other subject as she went on to answer her. "Mystic Falls is our home. They took that from us. Our land, our home. It's time we rebuild."

Charlene's eyes widened a little.

"What, are you crazy?" Damon commented in disbelief. Then, he rolled his eyes. "It was 1864. Wake up woman. The world has moved on."

"As a reward for your help, I'm willing to give you what you want most." Pearl told him.

"He won't do it." Charlene blurted out. "Right Damon?" She looked over at him.

Damon didn't seem to hear her though as he scoffed. "I want nothing."

"Abigail."

This made him pause, but not for long. "You wouldn't even know where she was. You've been under the ground for the last century and a half."

"I was best friends with Abigail along with her siblings long before we came to Mystic Falls, Damon." Pearl reminded him with her arms folded across her chest.

He got up to his feet and blurred in front of her, getting right in her face.

"Damon…" Charlene started, standing up herself.

"Stay out of it, Charlene." He hissed, and she went silent as he spoke to Pearl in a threatening tone. "I, no longer, have a desire to see Abigail again. And there's no way in _hell_ I'm gonna play the role of your little minion."

Pearl's face darkened as she shoved Damon away from her with all her strength went sent him into the couch again.

Immediately, Charlene tried to go to his side, but her arm was grabbed by Anna. "Hey!" she turned her head to glare at her.

"I'm not asking for your help, Damon." Pearl snapped. "Finding Abigail was just mere gesture of kindness. The rest is non-negotiable." She shoved her fingers into Damon's eyes, and he yelled out in pain.

"Damon!" Charlene cried out in horror, forgetting for a minute about what he did, as she tried to pull out of Anna's grip, but it was no use.

Pearl let him go and he crumbled to the ground, hands covering his face as he groaned in pain. "I have four hundred years on you, little boy." She growled. "I'll rip you limb from limb without even blinking and you know it. I'll be in touch." With that, she and Anna left, so now Charlene was able to rush to Damon's side.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" she questioned worriedly.

"Of course, I'm not okay!" he snapped.

Charlene rolled her eyes as she gently tugged his hands away from his face. She examined them carefully. His eyes were blood shot, a little bit of it leaking from his eyes. She used her speed to grab a wet washcloth before returning to Damon and cleaning off his eyes, being as gentle as she could.

"Ow…" he groaned when she accidently pressed a little hard.

Charlene winced. "Sorry…" she mumbled. Honestly, she had no idea why she was helping him. She was still pissed off at him, but she figured this was she gets for being too soft. While she cleaned his eyes off, she could feel his gaze on her face.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked, the very same question Charlene was wondering herself.

"Probably because I'm too nice for my own good." She said with a shrug.

"No. You like me." She didn't have to look at him to know he was smirking at her. "Despite the fact that I killed your aunt, Elena's mother, turning her into a vampire."

In response, she put pressure on his eyes, making him wince again. This time, it wasn't on accident.

"Don't take my kindness for forgiveness, Damon." Charlene snapped, a little bit of annoyance in her tone. "I still hate you for what you did and it's gonna take a lot more than you getting hurt for me to forgive you for what you did." She dropped the washcloth and stood up to her feet. "Goodbye, Damon."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked off, leaving him on the ground to stare after her.

* * *

Despite the fact that initially she wasn't for going on a double date with Matt and Caroline, Megan was actually pretty excited about it after realizing that this would practically be the first time her and Stefan went out on an actual date. It actually felt normal. That she was a _normal_ girl, with a _normal_ boyfriend, going on a _normal_ date with two friends. Sure, it probably wasn't going to last but she was going to enjoy it while it lasted.

There was a ring at the door, breaking her from her thoughts.

Megan smoothed out her shirt as she headed to the front door. Opening it as soon as she was there, Stefan was on the other side as he held out his hand, which had a bouquet of flowers clutched in them. Megan actually gasped at the sight of them.

It was daisies, her favorite flower.

"You got me flowers?" she asked, taking them in disbelief. None of her old boyfriends ever gave her flowers, so that's why it was such a shock to get them. But this was Stefan, and he wasn't like any of her other boyfriends.

"Yeah, thought it was appropriate since this is a date and all." Stefan said with a smile.

She smiled radiantly back at him. "Well, thank you. I love them." She sniffed the flowers before moving in to grab his hand and tug him inside. "Since this is a date, shouldn't you be driving too?"

"That's how it normally goes, but you're the one with the car." Stefan reminded her.

She giggled. "Good point, but why don't you have one? You would think being as old as you are, you would have one."

"Oh, I have one. I just never drive it."

"Of course." Megan teased. "I wouldn't either if I had vampire speed." She went into the kitchen with Stefan following her and she grabbed a vase from the cabinet to fill it with water to put her flowers in. "I'm really excited for this. I haven't been out in ages, at least for something as normal as a date." She put the flowers on the counter before turning to Stefan as her hands slid to the surface of it. "But if you want to, we can always cancel."

Stefan regarded her, confused. "Why would we do that?"

"Because, I don't know, it just feels like, this isn't real, you know? That we're actually going to be able to normal teenagers for once. It feels like we were never going to get to a place and be able to do it and be _normal_."

He said nothing for a moment, going around the counter to join her on the other side. He pulled her into a hug, and she melted into it.

"That's why we're going to do it." Stefan told her softly as he pulled her in closer. "We're going to go out, have some fun and try to remember we don't have to be always so serious." He pulled back from the hug to grasp Megan's shoulders, pulling her back so she would meet his gaze. "Listen, when I decided to stay here and to get to know you, it was so that I could do things like this. Bring my girlfriend flowers, take her out on a date, and try to be normal."

"Even if it doesn't last." Megan added with a smile.

Stefan smiled back. "Then, let's make it count." He kissed her forehead before offering her his arm.

She took it as they headed towards the front door. "By the way, have you ever been on a double date before?"

"Oh, absolutely. '72, Hef and the twins."

Megan's mouth dropped a bit. "You're kidding?"

His lips twitched up in amusement. "Yeah…I got Miss June."

"I really can't tell if your joking or not." Megan said as she eyed him down to try and figure it out. He winked at her in response and she shook her head, grinning as they finally made it out the door.

* * *

Kelly Donavan was annoyed. Really annoyed. She had come for a job interview at the Grill but nope, the one who was giving the interview was a woman that dated this guy who slept with. So, she figured that the woman totally ditched her. Kelly let out a sigh as she looked up, over beside her only to see a guy that she had never seen before. He had black hair, wore a leather jacket…and was that sunglasses? He sat down and she finally spoke up.

"What's with the glasses inside?" Kelly asked.

The guy, who was Damon, took off the sunglasses and didn't look at her. "My eyes were a little sensitive today." He finally looked at her and Kelly's first thought was how beautiful his eyes were.

"Your new around here?" Kelly stated bluntly.

"On the contrary, I'm very old." Damon looked at the bartender, who was now standing in front of him, "Bourbon, neat."

The bartender left and Kelly spoke. "I haven't been gone that long." She said, flirting a bit, obviously. "I would remember someone who looked like you."

"Yeah. Where did you go?"

"Around, about."

Damon chuckled as he took a drink of his bourbon which the bartender just gave to him. "Been there, done that," he said, sitting down the drink.

"I love to see a man drown his sorrows. It's so… _sexy_." Kelly made sure to make her voice sound seductive as she said this.

"It's more like nursing my wounds," Damon corrected without looking at her. He glanced at her, "You?"

"I was supposed to be interviewing for the bartender job, but I think the manager blew me off."

"Well, that's not very nice."

"Yeah." Kelly said. "Last time I was in town, I slept with her boyfriend."

"That's not very nice either."

Kelly just shrugged. "It happens."

"Yes, it does…"

"Kelly?"

Kelly glanced up and was surprised to see Jenna standing there.

"Kelly Donavan." Jenna said with a laugh, going over to her old friend.

"Jenna!" Kelly exclaimed happily as they hugged each other with Damon watching on, amused.

Jenna broke the hug and grinned, "I heard you were back in town." She looked at Damon, "She used to babysit me."

"And then I used to party with her." Kelly added, nudging her in the side playfully.

Damon looked at them, pretending to be interested.

"This woman is crazy."

"Not as crazy as you." Kelly teased.

"I'm not anymore." Jenna admitted.

"Well, sit, drink!" Kelly told her old friend.

Jenna shook her head. "I shouldn't," she said. "I'm responsible now, haven't you heard?"

"Well, take a night off, it's good for the soul!" Kelly exclaimed as she sat back down.

"Great for the soul." Damon added with a smirk.

Jenna gave in and sat down next to Kelly with a sigh. "This is not going to end well."

Damon smirked as the bartender poured them shots, "Can't wait."

They picked up their glasses and clicked them together before drinking them at the same time.

* * *

While Megan was out with Stefan, Matt, and Caroline, Charlene had decided to spend the day with Elena. It had been awhile since they spent time together with everything going on, well they spent time together, but not just the two of them. So, Charlene wanted to make up for it, and follow Megan's idea of trying to be normal teenagers without vampire drama. Though like with her best friend, the blonde knew it wouldn't last.

"This is nice, Char." Elena said softly as they sat together in the movie theater, eating popcorn even though the movie hadn't started yet. "We haven't hung out like this in a long time."

"I know." Charlene slid her arm around her sister's shoulders. "I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry I haven't really been there; you know how crazy it's been."

"Yeah, I know, which is why I'm not angry with you about it, so no need to apologize." Elena told her with a smile as the movie started the previews. "Let's just enjoy the movie and the amazing popcorn." She grabbed a few and tossed them in Charlene's face playfully, grinning now.

She glared at her, but she was being playful about it too. "You're getting it later, Lena-bear." She hadn't called Elena that in a long time, so she wasn't surprised to see her sister getting emotional about it. Charlene smiled at her, squeezing her hand before returning her attention to the movie.

After the movie was over, it was getting darker outside and they went over to the Grill to grab some drinks and food, even though they had stuffed their faces with popcorn. They entered the Grill, giggling and laughing with their arms locked together and their heads leaned against one another. It felt like they were children again without a care in the world, and Charlene couldn't help but bask in it. Unfortunately, it died when spotting Damon at the bar with Jenna and Kelly Donavan.

Elena, of course, noticed, like she always did. She frowned at the sight of him.

"Come on, let's go somewhere else." Elena suggested.

"No." Charlene said, keeping her sister in her spot. "We're not going to let Damon Salvatore ruin our sister day, okay? We're not giving him the satisfaction. We're gonna get some drinks and food, play pool, and pretend that he doesn't exist."

Elena didn't say anything for a moment, then she nodded with a grin, "You're right. You get the drinks and food, and I'll rack up the pool table. But be prepared to lose."

"Oh, we'll see about that." Charlene teased with a laugh as Elena headed off to the pool table and she went towards the bar, keeping her distance from Damon, not that he noticed her over there.

After ordering the food and getting the drinks for her and Elena, she headed over to the pool table, passing by Megan, Matt, Caroline, and Stefan. She waved at them briefly before finishing her way over to Elena.

* * *

Megan noticed Matt's gaze trailing over to Elena as Charlene stopped over to her. The brunette smiled, taking the drink from the blonde. Caroline saw this too and frowned. Quickly, Megan spoke up, grabbing Matt's attention.

"So! How are things with your mom being back, Matt?" she asked. "It must be difficult getting back into the swing of things."

Matt rose a brow at the sudden change of subject, but didn't comment on it. "Yeah, a little bit. But she seems like she's trying. I, uh, actually put my mom up for the bartending job here."

"Really? That's good. I'm sure she'll do great at that." Megan said encouragingly.

"Yeah." He glanced back at Elena. The change of subject thing didn't work out as good as Megan thought it would. She sent an apologetic look Caroline's way, but the blonde didn't seem to notice. When he finally looked away and glanced towards the bar, the look on his face changed. "You got to be kidding me…"

Confused, Megan looked to see what he was talking about. Her gaze landed on Matt's mom, Jenna, and Damon sitting at the bar, taking shots.

She rolled her eyes as the older Salvatore turned towards them with a smirk. What Charlene saw in him, Megan would never understand it.

* * *

Over at Miss Gibbons house, Fredrick opened up the door for his girlfriend Beth-Anne because they were about to leave the house but was caught by Harper.

"Where are you going?" Harper asked suspiciously.

Fredrick looked at him and smirked, "Beth-Anne and I are going out for a bit. Hit the town, hit up our heels."

"We're not supposed to leave," Harper protested. "Miss Pearl made that very clear."

Fredrick frowned as he stepped closer to Harper until he was standing right in Harper's face. "You're going to stop me?" he asked in a threatening tone of voice. Harper didn't say anything, and he smirked. "I didn't think so."

With that, he and Beth-Anne and left Harper standing there, watching them leave.

* * *

Jeremy was heading down the stairs to go to the kitchen when he heard the doorbell ring. He opened the door and was surprised to see…

"Anna?" Jeremy said, looking at her in disbelief.

"Surprised." Anna joked with a laugh.

"I thought you and your mom were leaving town."

She shrugged. "Change of plans." Her lips formed a slight pout, "Sorry, I thought you would be happy to see me."

"No, no, no. I mean…" Jeremy cursed himself for stuttering. "I mean…I am. Of course, I am."

"Alright then," Anna said with a smile. "Step aside." With that, she entered the house, missing the look on Jeremy's face.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **There Goes the Neighborhood, Part 3...**

 **Reviews? ;) ;)**


	44. There Goes the Neighborhood, Part 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the third part of There Goes the Neighborhood! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

And keep the votes for the poll coming!

* * *

A little bit later, they ended up having to get a bigger table since Elena and Charlene joined once their food was brought out. It started out as a double date but now felt like a group outing, which Megan was fine with it. Hanging out with friends was just as normal as going on a date with a really amazing guy. At the moment, they were all busy watching Jenna, Kelly, and Damon drinking away their sorrows or whatever they were drinking away.

"At least they're having fun." Caroline commented dryly.

Elena shook her head, unable to help but feel amused by the whole thing. It was pretty funny…in a way.

"They're drunk, of course they are." Elena said.

Matt laughed. "Remember when Elena and Charlene's parents busted us here after homecoming?"

"Oh my god, yes!" Caroline said, laughing at the memory.

"I totally forgot about that." Charlene giggled. Though they were laughing about it now, it wasn't very funny when it happened.

Megan hadn't been there, but she remembered Charlene telling her all about it on the phone. Though it had only been Matt and Elena who had been totally plastered but Charlene had gotten in trouble too since she was there with them. Her best friend had been so mad about that.

"What happened?" Stefan asked, putting an arm around Megan's shoulders.

Elena eagerly explained what happened along with Matt. "Well, we were wasted; it was the first time I ever got drunk. I blame Matt."

"Her parents got seated at the next booth."

"And Matt had me to pretend that I was choking so we could get away." Elena grinned over at him.

"But of course, since they were drunk, they had forgotten that our dad was a doctor." Charlene couldn't help but add in.

"We still tried though even when Charlie had told us it wouldn't work." Elena giggled, patting Charlene on the shoulder. "But anyway, he jumped in to save me. And I ran, slipped on the wet floor and bit it in front of _everyone_." She turned her head towards Matt, grinning again. "Remember that? Three stiches, a hangover for days, and I was grounded from seeing this one for a week."

"I was grounded too, even though I didn't nearly as drunk as Matt and Elena, which by the way, still pretty mad about that." Charlene scowled at the ex-couple playfully.

"Really still?" Elena asked in a fake exasperation. "I've apologized over and over for that."

"Still doesn't take away the pain." Charlene pouted, putting a hand to her chest.

She giggled, shoving the blonde in the shoulder playfully. "Shut up."

"Never."

Elena shook her head before looking over at Matt and they smiled at each other, their gazes lingering a bit. Abruptly, Caroline stood up.

"I'm gonna go to the restroom." She said. "Elena?" She gave Elena a pointed look as the brunette looked at her confused, but didn't argue with her about it, getting up out of her seat to follow Caroline to the bathroom.

Megan shared a worried look with Charlene, but they both decided to leave it alone and let Elena and Caroline deal with the Matt thing on their own.

At the bar, Jenna noticed the group of teenagers and ducked her head down. "Hide." She hissed to Kelly. "We're not here."

Confused, she leaned down towards her. "Why? Where'd we go?" she asked, her voice a little slurred.

"Children under our car. Five o'clock. This is not good."

Kelly turned her head, finally seeing them. It sobered her up immediately.

"Damn!" she mumbled, cursing her breath.

* * *

Elena and Caroline were gone for a little too long, so Charlene decided to go check on them. She hated seeing the two friends fighting even if Elena was confused as to why the blonde was pissed off at her. By the time she got to the bathroom, Caroline was running out with Elena right behind her.

"Caroline!" she called after her.

"Guys…" Charlene started to say, but it was too late as they had already run past her. It made her sigh as she turned back around to head back to the table.

She had made it halfway there when someone grabbed her by the arm. She tugged back immediately but he kept a firm grip, snapping her head to the person that grabbed her. Charlene met his gaze and he looked like he had just seen a ghost.

"Abigail?" he questioned.

She froze at the name. "No, you got the wrong person." Charlene answered. "Sorry."

He frowned, still staring her down. It made her completely uncomfortable. Finally, he let go and she rubbed her arm.

"My mistake." He said.

She forced a smile. "No harm done." Quickly, she got out of there, joining the group back at the table. "How's everything going?" She asked the group as she still felt the tension from Elena and Caroline. She was still spooked by what happened but tried to not let it show. Which she failed at, at least for Megan, who could tell something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" her best friend mouthed.

"Later." Charlene mouthed back as Stefan answered her question.

"Matt's cheating." He teased, looking over at the quarterback.

The blonde smirked, putting his arm round Caroline's shoulders. "No need. I'm awesome."

Everyone laughed, except for Charlene who was lost in thought about the man who called her Abigail. Stefan finally noticed something was wrong and moved towards her.

"Everything okay?" he asked under his breath, so the rest of them couldn't hear, except for Megan.

"Yeah, of course, everything's great." Charlene said as she pulled out her phone, typing a group message to Stefan and Megan. _That man over there called me Abigail._

Stefan headed over there, but the man was already gone. Charlene stared at the spot where he once was as she wondered who he was. Was it one of the tomb vampires? It had to be because who else could it be. She probably should tell Stefan about the tomb vampires being out, but she wanted to leave it alone for now. She would tell him tomorrow.

After deciding to leave the grill and go to the boarding house, Charlene joined Stefan in Megan's car while Megan went with Elena, Matt, and Caroline. They pulled up to the boarding house and put it in back. Charlene stared out the window, still thinking about the man.

"Char?" She turned her head towards Stefan. "So, you didn't recognize him, you haven't seen him before?"

Charlene shook her head. "No, I haven't. If I had, I probably wouldn't be so freaked out, then again, he did call me Abigail, so either way I still would be."

"Want me to tell Megan to call this night off? Send Matt and Caroline home?"

"No, of course." Charlene shook her head as if the idea was just ridiculous and it was. "This day was supposed to be all about being normal and forgetting about our everyday lives. So, whatever or whoever that man was, we can save it for tomorrow."

"If you're sure…"

"I am." Charlene said stubbornly.

"Okay." Stefan smiled in amusement. His smile was infectious, so she couldn't help but smile back. The sudden light behind them signaled that Megan, Elena, Caroline, and Matt were here. "That's them. Come here." He opened his arms up for a hug.

Immediately, Charlene took the offer as she hugged him tightly back. Stefan really was a good man. Megan was lucky to have him and she was too as he was becoming such a good friend to her.

Stefan broke the hug, kissing her on the forehead before letting go completely as he got out of the car. She took a deep breath, the got out of the car herself. They all went inside the boarding house and Matt along with Caroline looking around in amazement.

"This is so much better than watching Damon visit cougar town." Caroline said, voicing everyone's opinion. It was definitely something Charlene wanted to forget. "No offense." She added, looking at Matt.

"Don't remind me." He told her as he made a face before looking at Stefan. "Man, I've always wanted to see what it looks like in this place."

Stefan chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it's a bit much."

"Yeah, my entire house could fit in here, like twice."

"Feels like I've been here before. It's weird." Caroline mumbled.

Charlene changed the subject, clearing her throat. "Hey, how about we watch a movie or something? I vote for the Notebook."

This made Caroline perk up. "I second that!"

However, the boys were paying attention as Matt took notice to Stefan's miniature car collection. Of course.

"Whoa, these are great." He grinned, heading over to them.

"This is uh, a little hobby of mine."

"You actually have a hobby? I learn something new about you every day." Megan teased, and he gave her a smile.

"I did the entire Mustang series when I was 9." Matt said proudly.

"You like cars?"

"It's an understatement."

"Come with me." They took off, and all three of the girls shared a look.

Megan shook her head. "I guess that's a no to the movie."

"Men and their cars." Caroline snorted before following after Matt and Stefan with Elena beside her.

Charlene walked along with Megan. "Well, I guess being a vampire doesn't matter when it comes to cars."

"Tell me about it." Megan agreed. "But I wonder what Stefan has to show me. Maybe it's that car Stefan swears he has."

"I guess we'll find out." Charlene laughed, linking arms with her.

"Guess so."

* * *

Megan stood outside of the garage with Elena, Charlene, and Caroline while Stefan opened it up and went inside.

"Prepare yourself, my friend." Her boyfriend said with a grin as he went over to what she guessed was a car and he pulled the tarp off of it, revealing the bright red mustang underneath. Megan's mouth dropped.

"This is the car you've been hiding?" she asked him, looking at her boyfriend in disbelief. Her disbelief faded after a moment and she eyed him with a smirk. "I think you just got even hotter."

Stefan winked at her.

"Wait, how do you have this?" Matt asked curiously.

"Got passed down through the family." Stefan opened the door, peering inside for a moment.

"Why don't you…I mean…why don't you drive it?" Matt asked, heading over to Stefan's side.

"Well, it doesn't run. I mean, it's not that I could figure it out."

Caroline made a face. "Why would you keep a car that doesn't run?"

"Be more of a girl right now." Matt teased, and she laughed.

"Hey, want to come to take a look at this for me?" Stefan asked as he went back to do just that.

Matt talked while he did, "Elena, remember that old Camaro your dad used to have?"

Elena smiled, "Of course."

"I built and built that engine 20 times."

Caroline crossed her arms. "I don't like sports cars; they're too hard to make out in."

Megan nodded eagerly in agreement. "Oh, most definitely."

"It wasn't that bad." Matt said, not thinking about what he was saying as he stared at Elena.

Immediately, Caroline was hurt, and she hurried it out of there.

"Nice putting your foot in your mouth, Matt." Megan said, shaking her head before hurrying after Caroline with Charlene and Caroline right behind her.

* * *

"Alright, roast beef, turkey, what do you want?" Jeremy asked as he held them both of in his hands.

Anna laughed from her spot on a chair at the end of the counter. "Let's do the work. Pile it high."

"Okay," Jeremy said with another laugh as he headed back over to the cooking place. He sat the things in his hands down before looking at Anna. "Will you grab the bread for me?"

"Okay," Anna answered as she went over to get the bread.

Jeremy cut his hand with the knife, causing him to gasp out in pain. Anna turned to him and froze at the sight of the blood on Jeremy's hand.

Her eyes widened. "What are you doing?" she asked, freaked out.

"It's just a cut." Jeremy said, looking calm. "Can you hand me that towel?"

Anna looked uncomfortable. "I—I can't," she said nervously.

"You got a problem with blood Anna," Jeremy said as he showed her his bloody hand and started to walk towards her, seeing the nervous look on her face. "What's the matter? It's just blood Anna."

Before he could even blink, Jeremy was pushed against the fridge by the neck.

"What are you doing?" Anna demanded angrily as her face changed.

He grinned. "I knew it." He showed his bloody hand, "Go for it."

Anna looked back and forth between Jeremy and the bloody hand. But the need for blood won out in the end and she grabbed his hand, beginning to drink from the wound.

"Jeremy!" The sound of Jenna's voice caused Jeremy to rush away, going to the doorway of the kitchen.

"Jenna!" Jeremy exclaimed, putting his hand behind his back. "What's up?"

"Regret," Jenna said. He looked at the window where his aunt nodded. "Make sure you lock that up."

Jeremy looked back at her, quickly nodding, and she disappeared up the stairs. He went back to the kitchen only to find that Anna was nowhere in sight.

* * *

Charlene went back inside the boarding house to get a drink, feeling pretty good about today. Nothing went wrong today, except for the man that thought she was Abigail, but even that wasn't too bad. Neither was seeing Damon getting chummy with Kelly Donavan. That was more gross than anything else.

That was a sight she definitely want to see again.

Too bad luck wasn't on her side. Because as soon as she turned the corner, she froze in place at the sight of Damon and Kelly, kissing passionately in the hallway with the older woman pressed against the wall.

Seeing this made her feel sick to her stomach, and jealousy was the next emotion she felt. She also felt betrayed even though she shouldn't be…so much for nothing bad happening.

Charlene wasn't the only one shocked.

"Mom?!" Matt exclaimed, shocked.

"Damon?!"

The two broke apart, and Kelly's eyes widened at the sight of Matt.

"Oh my god, Matt!" she gasped, pushing Damon away from her. "Oh my god."

"You got to be kidding me." Megan mumbled as she glanced over at Charlene, already figuring out how she was probably feeling. Charlene didn't meet her gaze.

Kelly quickly grabbed her things and ran past Elena and Stefan, who were just coming into the room but had seen everything. There was an awkward silence for a moment before Matt broke it, even though the air still felt weird.

"I got to…" he trailed, his face turning slightly pink, clearly embarrassed by the entire thing, and Charlene couldn't blame him one bit.

"It's okay, go." Caroline told him.

"I'll take her home." Elena reassured Matt.

He gave a weak smile as he turned to Stefan. "Thanks man." He handed him the keys to Stefan's car before he left the boarding house.

Everyone glanced at Damon, but Charlene's stare was the most intense. He took a drink, not meeting her gaze.

"I need to go." Charlene muttered, turning and immediately leaving without sparing a second glance at Damon stupid Salvatore.

* * *

After walking the girls out the door, Stefan headed back to the living room only to see that Damon was sitting on the couch. The oldest looked up at his brother and rolled his eyes at the look on his face.

"Don't look at me like that." Damon snapped, unable to help but roll his eyes again.

"Are you crazy?" Stefan asked as he shook his head in disbelief.

"Save the lecture. Look…"

Then suddenly the window crashed as Fredrick jumped through it. He charged towards Stefan and stabbed him with piece of glass. Damon jumped off of the couch and started to fight with Fredric. Just as Stefan removed the glass from himself, Beth-Anne appeared and the two began to fight one another just like Damon and Fredrick. After fighting a little bit, Beth-Anne pushed Stefan to the floor.

Quickly, he took the leg off of a wooden chair that had fallen to the floor in their fight and stabbed Beth-Anne in the heart, causing her to grey immediately. Damon threw Fredrick across the living room. But he quickly got off of the floor. Fredrick looked at Stefan and Damon then at Beth-Anne who was now dead. Before Stefan and Damon could do anything, the vampire zoomed away.

"Damn it," Damon cursed to himself.

Stefan was touching his wound where Fredrick stabbed him at, wincing. "I remember them from 1864." He said, his breathing ragged. "They were in the tomb."

"Yeah…about that."

Stefan gave his brother a look of disbelief as they both looked at each other.

* * *

Matt headed towards the living room, angry and pissed off at his mom.

"Matt…" Kelly followed her son to the living room, tears in her eyes. She stopped, looking at Matt, who was now sitting on the couch, "Matt…"

"I don't want to hear it mom," Matt snapped, looking up at Kelly and she immediately went silent.

"Matty, please…" Kelly pleaded speaking again but was cut off again by her son.

"Do you know what was doing tonight?" Matt didn't wait for his mom to answer as he continued, the emotion clear in his voice, "I was having fun, you know, trying to forget all the _crap_ that I have to deal with every day. Just enjoying a night with my friends. And then, there you are…" He stood up facing his mom and spoke again, still sounding emotional, "wasted at the bar, where I work by the way, to pay the bills that _you_ don't pay. And then you're off acting like a freaking kid! Hooking up with some guy who is half your age." He blinked back the tears and his voice cracked, "I'm the kid mom. You're supposed to be one responsible of me."

"I know, Matt." Kelly said emotionally.

Matt just slowly shook his head at her as he left the living room, leaving Kelly standing there as she wiped away tears from her eyes.

* * *

Megan slowly entered Charlene's bedroom where she was buried under the covers. "Charlene…are you gonna be okay?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know…" her best friend muttered. "I don't even know why I'm upset…"

"Yeah, you do." Megan told her as she went over to the bed, sitting down on the end of it.

There was silence as Charlene's head popped up from under the sheets. "Yeah…I know…" she sighed, surprising Megan that her best friend was admitting it. "But I can't feel this way about Damon, I can't. He's a horrible, horrible person. I can't have feelings for him. He's done horrible things, he turned me into a vampire, he killed Vicki, he killed our aunt…I…I just can't…but I do…"

Megan could her friend was getting emotional, so she climbed into the bed and pulled her into a tight hug. Charlene buried her face into her chest.

"It's going to be okay…" Megan muttered into her ear. She hung onto Charlene's tightly, never letting go, even as they fell asleep.

* * *

Jeremy entered his room and jumped at the sight of Anna, getting scared immediately. "What the hell?!"

"I could have killed you!" Anna exclaimed back, getting right to it.

He said nothing for a moment. "Yeah, but you didn't." He said as he started to slowly walk towards her.

"I should have…"

"But you didn't." Jeremy reminded her again.

Anna shook her head in disbelief, stepping back from him. "How did you know?"

"I knew this girl Vicki," Jeremy said, stopping in front of her. Anna listened intently as he continued, "She was attacked by an animal, a bite to the neck. She started acting crazy … weird and it seemed like on drugs, but you showed me those articles." He took a deep breath. "And then I saw your face and how it changed the night at the cemetery when I kissed you…"

"You know you can't tell anyone right?" Anna said, changing the subject.

Jeremy chuckled dryly. "Who would believe me?"

"You'd be surprised." Anna mumbled, but loud enough where Jeremy could hear her, thinking of his sisters.

He stared at her, a curious look on his face. "Why didn't you…kill me?"

"I don't know," Anna admitted honestly. "Maybe I'm a sucker for a guy like you…"

"Like what?"

"Lost," Anna simply said. She then went on, asking two questions that she had been wondering since this thing with Jeremy happened, "Why would you confront me about it? Why would you risk it?"

Jeremy's gaze turned sad. "Because if it was true, maybe it's true about Vicki." He looked her right in the eye, now looking more serious than Anna had ever seen him. "And also, because…I want you to turn me…"

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Let The Right One In, Part 1...**

 **Decided to keep in the regular cliffhanger for this episode, just because. Also finally Charlene admits she has feelings for Damon, out loud anyway, which is definitely process. So we'll see what happens next ;) Leave reviews and let me know what you thought of the final part of this episode. Until next time on Surviving Vampires 101!**


	45. Let The Right On In, Part 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the first part of Let The Right On In! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

And keep the votes for the poll coming!

Only 5 more episodes until the end of S1 which is honestly my FAVORITE season finale for obvious reasons ;)

* * *

Of course, Charlene woke up in the middle of the night. She was doing that a lot lately with everything going on, but this time, it wasn't because of any dreams. It was because of the raging storm going on outside.

"Charlie…" Megan's sleepy voice sounded beside her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She looked over at her best friend, whose eyes were now open but only slightly. "Just the storm, go back to sleep."

"Mm-mm…okay…" Megan mumbled sleepily as her eyes closed and she turned around in the bed. "I won't let the bed bugs bite…"

Charlene shook her head, her lips curling up in amusement. "Okay Megan, you do that." Again, she shook her head as she got out of bed and headed over to the open window, closing it firmly. Since she was already awake, she might as well make sure all the windows were closed.

She went to Elena's room, who was actually awake too and writing in her diary. "Did the storm wake you up too?"

"Yeah…you know me and storms." Elena smiled, looking up from her diary.

"Yeah." She smiled, and went over to close her window. "Hey, do you mind helping me check the windows and make sure they're closed?"

Elena nodded, "Sure."

"I'll ask Jeremy too, and try to get some sleep." Charlene knew she was going to try again once all the windows were closed.

"I'll try."

Charlene smiled, and went to Jeremy's room next. When she entered the room, he jumped at the sight of her. Charlene frowned, thinking that was odd.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah." He answered quickly. Charlene wanted to believe him but there was something up. However, she was too tired to be bothered to ask about it.

Charlene nodded slowly. "Alright, well, since your up, can you help close all the windows in the house? I think there's gonna be a big storm coming."

"Yeah, sure." Jeremy gave her a somewhat nervous smile.

"Are you sure your okay? You're acting weird." Charlene decided to just ask, feeling worried.

"I said I was fine." He sounded a bit annoyed, now.

She put her hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay, I'm just asking." Now, she knew something was up and she said nothing for a moment. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

Jeremy's face softened. "Yeah, I know."

"Okay…just wanted to let you know." Charlene smiled, going over to kiss the top of his head. "I love you, Jer."

"I love you too."

Kissing him on the head one last time, she left the room to close the rest of the windows. She finished with that and went back to her bedroom to find Megan wide awake, holding onto her phone. Her best friend looked up at her once she entered the room.

"That was Stefan. Something's happened." Megan said, and Charlene just knew it was bad. Whatever it was.

So, a couple hours later, Charlene, Elena, and Megan were at the boarding house. Stefan and Damon had just finished telling them what had happened.

Charlene knew about most of it, well the part about the tomb vampires being out, but she kept silent about it as it was talked about as she knew how both Megan and Elena would react to the fact that she kept that from them.

"I say we go to Pearl's, bust down the door, and annihilate the idiot that attacked us last night." Damon offered as he boarded up the window that Fredrick and Beth-Anne broke through.

"Of course, your first thought is violence." Charlene rolled her eyes. She was still peeved off at him for kissing Kelly Donavan and not because that it hurt Matt. Though she admitted her feelings for Damon to herself and to Megan, she knew she shouldn't have them and was going to pretend that she didn't.

At her words, Damon rolled his eyes. "It would be your first thought too if you were here. Which you weren't."

Charlene opened her mouth to retort, that it wouldn't be her first thought, but Stefan interrupted her before she could.

"Yeah. And then what?" Stefan asked from his spot beside Megan. He crossed his arms. "We turn to the rest of that house of vampires and say, 'Oops. Sorry?'"

Megan stifled a laugh before looking at Damon, frowning now. "I just can't believe you made a deal with her. Why the hell would you do that?"

"It was more of a helpful exchange of information."

This made Megan snort. "Yeah, that makes everything better." She said sarcastically.

Damon ignored her, of course. Dick.

"It's not like I had a choice." He finally said on the subject, but Charlene knew that was bull. There was always a choice. "She's scary. And as for why I did it, she's gonna help me get Abigail back."

"Of course, it always comes back to Abigail." Charlene bit out. "Let's forget the fact that she wants nothing to do with you and doesn't love you enough to go looking for you like you did for. And let's forget the fact about you making a deal with a psychopath vampire to find the girl that obviously doesn't want to found. If she wanted to be found, she would have been already." She honestly said that to get him angry to hurt him, but it had the opposite effect.

"You know, jealousy doesn't suit you, Charlie." Damon mocked.

"I am not jealous." She snapped. "I just think your obsession with Abigail is just pathetic and sad."

This time, he glared at her. "I would watch your mouth, Charlene."

"Make me, Damon." She challenged. "What are you going to do about it? Oh right, nothing."

He opened his mouth to snap back at her, but Stefan stopped him, raising his voice a little.

"Stop it, both of you. You're acting like children." Charlene crossed her arms as she and Damon glared at each other, earning a sigh from Stefan. "This is being very productive. We have more important things to deal with, like dealing with Pearl and the vampires. Okay?"

Charlene let her arms fall to her side and she sighed heavily. He was right.

"Fine." She mumbled as Damon gave her one last glare before leaving the room. "I'm sorry, Stef. He just gets on my last nerves."

"I know. He gets on everyone's nerves."

"Mine especially." Megan quipped, rolling her eyes. "But Charlene wasn't wrong. His obsession with Abigail is sad. It's gonna get him killed one day." That was the last thing said on the subject as she changed the subject. "So, what are we going to do about the vampires?"

"There's no we, there's me and Damon." Stefan corrected, turning to his girlfriend. "My brother and I will deal with it."

"So what? We just sit here and do nothing while you guys have all the fun." Megan pouted. "That's not fair."

Stefan sighed. "I'm sorry, but that's what going to keep all of you safe."

"Stefan, all of us can take care of ourselves. We want to help out with this." Megan pleaded, grabbing his hands. "You can't do it by yourself. I know Damon will be there, but I don't trust him as far as I can throw him. I want you safe too."

"And I will be." Stefan promised. "Like you said, I have Damon, the self-serving psychopath on my side."

Megan frowned at him. "And I told you that doesn't make me feel any better."

He shook his head, pulling her into a hug.

Charlene and Elena looked at each other as they shared a laugh.

* * *

"Okay, we have some time," Anna said as she slipped into the seat next to Jeremy at the Grill. "I'm not meeting my mother until later."

"Wait, does your mom know you're a…"

Anna laughed, interrupting Jeremy from finishing the sentence. "The fact that you would even think that it's possible to keep something like that a secret from your own family is just further proof that you're not ready."

"'Not ready' is a step up from 'No'," Jeremy said with a grin.

"And a million steps down from 'Maybe'," Anan retorted back. She smiled in amusement as she took notice to the bracelet on his wrist. "I like your bracelet."

"Thanks," Jeremy said in response as he looked down at it and started to fiddle with it. "My sister, Charlene, got it for me."

As soon as he said that, Anna knew immediately that the bracelet had vervain in it if the blonde vampire had given it to him. "Can I see it?" she asked, wanting to make sure that she was right.

"Yeah. Yeah."

He held out his hand that had the bracelet on it and Anna grabbed his hand and looked at it.

"Your sister doesn't know you're hanging out with me, does she?" She looked up at Jeremy. The last thing she needed was either of the Gilbert sisters to know they were hanging out, especially after what happened.

Jeremy shook his head. "No, no. But I don't see why it would be a problem." He laughed a little. "It's not like she knows what you are."

Anna bit her bottom lip, hoping she didn't look nervous. "I'd rather keep it our little secret." She told him with a small smile.

Jeremy stared at her for a few minutes. "You know…" He started to say. "Why don't you keep this?" He took off the bracelet and handed it to Anna.

"Why would give this to me?" Anna asked surprised.

"Because you like it…" Jeremy trailed off and looked her right in the eye, "And I like you."

Anna glanced away for a moment before looking back at him. "You only like me because of what you want from me."

Jeremy just shook his head. "No. I…I like you."

They stared at each other for what seemed like forever. They were having a moment… A moment that shouldn't happen. Anna broke away from the gaze, biting her bottom lip, as she looked back up at him. She handed him back the bracelet.

"Um, you know, you should wear. It looks better on you anyway."

Jeremy nodded as he smiled, and Anna smiled back.

* * *

Damon was busily fixing a clock in the library when Stefan came out with his jacket, obviously going outside to go hunt. He looked over at his brother and smirked.

"Hunting party?" he asked.

"That guy did a number on me last night when he stabbed me." Stefan said as he started to head out of the library. "I gotta get my strength back up."

"I got 2 liters of soccer mom in the fridge." Damon told Stefan as he looked over at his brother, but he saw the look on Stefan's face. "No?"

Stefan shook his head as he zipped up his jacket. Snuffing his hands in the pockets, he looked at Damon.

"We'll talk when I get back."

"About what?" Damon asked.

Stefan sighed as he looked back at his brother. "About what you did yesterday."

"Nope, don't want to talk about that."

"You hurt not only Matt, but you hurt Charlene too, Damon." He waited for Damon's reaction when he mentioned Char, but he didn't get one. Stefan sighed when he knew Damon wasn't going to listen to him right now. "Forget it, I see you when I get back soon."

"Alright." Damon said, turning back to fixing the clock as Stefan finally left the library. "Give my regards to the squirrels."

As soon as Stefan walked out the door, Damon lowered his head, remembering the hurt look Char had when he was making out with Kelly.

* * *

Charlene had gotten a call from Stefan, asking if she wanted to go hunting with him. She wanted to say no because she didn't eat from animals anymore, but she remembered that he had no idea that she didn't. Charlene could have told him, and she would have. She just knew he would be so disappointed in her, so she kept silent and met up with Stefan in the woods.

"How are you doing?" he asked once she joined him.

Charlene shrugged. "Been better, I guess."

"That's good."

"Yeah…"

There was silence between them as they walked through the woods, together. Charlene was a little bit nervous as she wondered what she was going to do when they finally found an animal. She needed to come up with an excuse soon.

Suddenly, Stefan gripped her shoulder tightly. It didn't hurt but it caught her attention.

"What is it?" He didn't answer her, and he didn't have to because she finally took notice to the vampires surrounding them. One of them she recognized as the guy who called her Abigail at the grill. The first thought in her mind was to run, but there was too many of them. There was no point in running.

However, Charlene did try to. She didn't get far as she heard a scream and she whirled around, spotting Stefan on the ground with a stake in his stomach.

"Stefan, no!" she cried out and rushed to him. One of the vampires grabbed her, snapping her neck as soon as he had a grip on her, and she knew no more.

* * *

Megan was over at the Gilbert household, and she ended another phone call with Damon. She wasn't in the mood to talk to him.

"Where's Charlene?" Megan questioned, plopping down on the couch with Elena, who was watching the television. That's why she was over here in the first place to make sure her best friend was okay after this morning.

"She went out hunting with Stefan a little bit ago." Elena responded as she turned to the next channel, which was TBS and Friends was on.

"Ah okay." Megan grabbed a nearby pillow, gripping it in her arms. She giggled when Janice showed up on the screen. "You know even though she's annoying, I love it when Janice comes on!"

Elena smiled. "Yeah, me too."

Her phone rang again, and Megan glanced at the caller ID before scowling at the screen.

"Damon again?" Elena asked as she rolled her eyes. "Can't he take a hint that you don't want to talk to him?"

"I guess not." Megan rolled her eyes too. "He's being annoying. God only knows why Charlene's interested in him."

Elena froze at that. "What?"

She realized what she said and winced. "Oops. I wasn't supposed to tell you that."

"Charlene likes Damon?"

"Well…" Megan looked around, trying to find an excuse not to talk about it.

Luckily, the doorbell rang, and she quickly got off the couch to run to the front door. She opened it, revealing Damon on the other side of the door. He pushed his way in before she could stop him.

"You're ignoring me." He said, turning to face her as she closed the door behind her.

Elena went over to them as Megan crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yeah and?" she asked with a shrug. She wasn't even going to bother denying it.

Damon rolled his eyes at her response. "Is Stefan here?"

Her defensive position faded as Megan looked at him, confused. "No. Why would he be?"

"He went out into the woods and never came back. I can't get him on his phone. I figured he was with you."

"No…" Megan frowned, calling Stefan on her phone. It went to voicemail and it freaked her out immediately. He always answered her phone calls. "He's not answered mine either." Her gut told her something was seriously wrong.

She looked over at Elena. The brunette had just gotten off the phone as well. Megan stiffened when she realized who Elena had been calling. Charlene.

Oh god. She had been with Stefan. What if something happened to her too?

"Char's not answering her phone either." Elena sounded frightened. Surprisingly, Damon noticed and looked confused.

"Why would you need to call Charlene? Isn't she here?"

Megan shook her head, biting her bottom lip. "No…she went hunting with Stefan…"

Damon froze at those froze, and his jaw tightened. He looked furious.

"Where could they be at?" Megan looked over at Damon and could tell something was on Damon's mind. It showed on his face, and she was scared to know what he was thinking.

"You're not going to like what I'm thinking." He finally said, and Megan's stomach dropped. Oh no, she wouldn't.

* * *

Damon stormed up to the front door of Pearl's house, banging furiously on the wood. "Pearl! Open this door." He growled. "I swear to God I'll burst through and rip your head off!"

The door finally opened, and Fredrick stood on the other side. "Pearl's not home." He informed Damon. He peered outside, smirking. "Hmm. Beautiful weather. Not a ray of sun in sight."

"Where's my brother and Charlene?" Damon hissed, glaring at him. He wasn't in the mood, especially now since his brother had been captured along with Charlene.

"You mean the Abigail look-alike?" Fredrick smirked again. "You know, we were just planning on taking Stefan, but we saw her and thought why not bring her along for the ride."

Damon growled. "Where are they?"

Fredrick's smirk widened. "Billy. Randy." He nodded and two vampires Damon recognized came in. Charlene was in one of their grips and Stefan in the other.

"Damon…" the blonde choked out, grimacing in pain. Damon's heart constricted at the sound.

"You're head." He snarled and tried to force himself in, forgetting he hadn't been invited in.

Fredrick backed up. "Whoa, I'm sorry. You haven't been invited in." He mocked as he smirked. "Miss Gibbons?"

An older woman entered the room, looking dazed and had all kinds of bite marks on her body. "Yes, Fredrick, honey?"

"Never let this bad man in."

"I'll never let him."

The vampire who had Charlene forced her to her knees, making her cry out especially when he pulled on her hair.

"Stop!" she cried, her eyes welling with tears.

If he could right now, Damon would be inside, killing every single vampire in this house with how angry he was.

"145 years left starving in a tomb, thanks to the Pierce sisters' obsession with you and your brother." Fredric said darkly. "First few weeks, every single nerve in your body screams with fire. The kind of pain that can drive a person mad. Well…I thought your brother want to get a taste of that before I killed him. Billy."

The vampire stabbed Stefan in the stomach with a stake, making him scream in agony.

"I'm gonna kill your little girlfriend too." Fredrick added with a smirk, and Damon's anger grew. "Abigail was always my favorite out of the three of them, so I might as well have fun with her before I do. Have nice day."

He slammed the door, and Damon slammed a fist into the door, nearly breaking it in the process.

* * *

 **TBC..**

 **In...**

 **Let The Right One In, Part 1...**

 **Yep. Charlene got captured along with Stefan. I wanted a twist in this episode, so I decided on that one. I was going to let it just be Charlene who got captured but it didn't really make any sense so she got captured along with Stefan. :) I was excited for the twist so I hope you liked it too! Anyway, until next time on Surviving Vampires 101!**


	46. Let The Right On In, Part 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the second part of Let The Right On In! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

And keep the votes for the poll coming!

* * *

Megan sat in Damon's car with Elena, nervously waiting for Damon to come back. Hopefully with Stefan and Charlene.

She heard Elena crying beside her and of course, she immediately went to comfort her.

"Charlene is going to be okay, Lena. You know her. She's strong."

Elena slowly shook her head as she wiped her eyes, but it was no use as tears were still rolling down her face. "I can't lose her, Megan. I can't…"

Quickly, she grabbed her hands, forcing Elena to look at her. "You're not going to lose Charlene. Damon will save her, her and Stefan."

Elena looked like she was about to say something on the subject, and Megan normally wouldn't have blamed her. But she believed Damon would save them.

However, Elena didn't have time to say anything about it as Megan noticed Damon from out her window. She hurried out of the car, meeting up with him halfway. Charlene and Stefan were nowhere in sight and Megan's heart fell.

"What happened Damon?" She demanded. "Where's Charlene and Stefan? I thought you were bringing them with you!"

"I couldn't…I can't get in."

"What do you mean you can't get in?!" Megan exclaimed, raising her voice.

Damon ignored her loud voice but answered her question. "Because the woman who owns the house is compelled to not let me in."

"Then let me. I can get in." Megan tried to shove past Damon to just that, but he grabbed onto her. She glared at him. "Let. Go."

"You're not going in there."

"Oh yes, I am." Megan retorted. "You can't stop me. I'm a witch, I can take them down."

"You're not going in there." Damon repeated as she tried to shove him away from her.

"I'm going, Damon!" Megan snarled. "I'm not going to let them stay there and get tortured by psycho vampires! What do they even want with them?" She was getting frustrated and angry at Damon. He knew she could take care of herself and could easily take down all those vampires in that house. Though she figured he wasn't going to let her because Stefan would never forgive him if she got hurt, but at the moment she didn't care if she got hurt or not. She wasn't going to let Stefan and Charlene get hurt. She wasn't going to let Elena and Jeremy lose another family member.

"Revenge. They want revenge." Damon answered, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"And Charlene's there because?" Megan knew why they would want revenge against Stefan, but her best friend, not a chance.

Damon rubbed his face. "She was just there at the wrong time."

"Seriously?" Megan looked furious. "There's something seriously wrong with them."

"Obviously." He said sarcastically.

"This is not the time for sarcasm, Damon! What are we going to do? We can't just leave them in there."

"I know."

"We can't let them get hurt. We can't! I'm not going to let them, and I'm not going to let Elena and Jeremy lose another family member." She voiced her earlier thoughts, getting emotional, and it showed in her voice.

In a surprise move, Damon grabbed her face, effectively stopping her emotion filled rant. "I know, Megan. I know but I don't know how to get them out." His stare was so intense that she found herself blushing. Okay, she figured out in that moment why Charlene was into him, and she nearly smacked herself in the head for even thinking that.

He let go of her, and Megan stood there, deep in thought as she tried to think of what they could do. It took her a few minutes to think of something.

"I have an idea." She said, and Damon looked at her curiously.

* * *

Hunger. Pain.

These were all the emotions Charlene was feeling at the moment. If only she had been honest with Stefan about not feeding on animals anymore, she wouldn't be in this predicament right now.

It was too late now, and here she was, strung up by vervain ropes with no shirt on. Luckily, she still had her pants, but she had no idea how long that would last.

After Fredrick closed the door on Damon, his minion dragged her and Stefan away, putting them in different places in the house. She was in an empty room while Stefan was in the basement. Charlene was worried about herself, but she was mostly worried about Stefan. He was probably getting the worse of it all, considering they had been after him in the first place. She had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Charlene wanted to scream from the pain that the vervain ropes were bringing to her wrists, but she bit the screams back, not to be appear weak in front of every old vampire. Even though none of them were in here. At least not at the moment. She was alone for quite a long time and it felt like forever, but she knew it hadn't been. It probably had been just a few hours. Maybe they weren't going to bother her. As soon as she thought that, the door of her room opened, and she stiffened immediately. It didn't help that it was the person who captured her in the first place.

Fredrick.

He gave her a wicked smirk that sent shivers down her spine. "Well, hello there." Charlene glared at him, but it only caused his smirk to widen. "Oh, don't be like that, Abigail."

"My. Name. Isn't. Abigail." Charlene bit out.

"I know, but I rather call you Abigail." Fredrick informed her with a sickly smirk. It made her sick to her stomach, especially when he moved closer to her.

"You're sick!" Charlene spat.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Fredrick continued to smirk as he got closer to her until he was right in her face. She stiffened again when he reached forward, touching her skin. "Mm…you look so much like her…" His fingers trailed down to her neck and leaned forward until he brushed his nose against her, breathing her in. "Smell like her too…" He moved back, smirking at the look on Charlene's face.

However, the smirk fell when she spat in his face. He didn't appreciate it obviously as the next thing she knew she had a stake lodged in her stomach.

Charlene let out a scream of pain and she struggled against her bonds, the ropes burning her skin. It only made her scream louder.

He twisted the stake inside her, and she gasped sharply in pain as he brought his face to hers again to whisper in her ear.

"I'd be nice to me, Abigail, because next time, this stake is going through your heart." He breathed and she shivered unpleasantly. He pulled back, glaring at her now as he pulled the stake out, making her scream. With that, he left her there with a bleeding wound.

Charlene ducked her head, pain in her eyes. She didn't know how much more of this she could take.

* * *

"Well, don't you look…alive." Damon mocked, and Megan rolled her eyes at his response to Alaric. That was her idea to try and convince Alaric to help them get Charlene and Stefan and doing that wasn't going to be any help.

"You can't hurt me." Alaric said, not looking scared in the slightest. Megan had to give him props for that. Though she wouldn't be either if she had a magic ring that brought her back to life.

"Oh, I can hurt you, alright?" Damon stepped forward but Megan pulled him back instantly.

"Stop, we don't have time for this macho crap, okay?" she told him with a roll of her eyes. Still gripping firmly on Damon's arm, she looked over at Alaric. "We need your help with something, Mr. Saltzman. Hear us out?"

He hesitated, but Elena took a step forward.

"Please?" She breathed, getting him to look at her.

After a moment, he slowly nodded. So, they went into his classroom to talk.

Elena spoke first. "Stefan and Charlene are in the house." She said softly. "Damon's a vampire. He can't get in. We need you."

"Well, I mean, we could go in there ourselves but…" Megan was gonna say because Damon's being a stubborn asshole and wasn't going to let them go in, but the vampire interrupted her before she could.

"Because yours and Elena's life is valuable." Damon smirked at Alaric. "Yours, on the other hand, isn't."

Megan had let go of his arm by now, but it didn't stop her from nudging Damon in the side hard. "Stop being a dick." She rolled her eyes in exasperation and ignoring Damon's glare, she turned her gaze over to Alaric. "Just ignore him, that's what I did. Anyway, Stefan told us about your ring."

"What about it?" Alaric asked, feigning confusion.

"Let me recap…you tried to kill me." Damon started off in a snarky tone. So much for not being a dick. "I defended myself. You died. Then according to my brother, your ring brought you back to life. Am I leaving anything out?"

Alaric straightened up, his eyes narrowing at Damon. "Yeah. The part where I try and kill you again. Only this time, I don't miss."

Before he could follow through with his threat, Megan interrupted. "I thought I told you to stop with the macho crap! You guys can do that on your own time, my god. We don't have time for it. Please Mr. Saltzman." She pleaded with him, staring at him. "We need your help to help to save Stefan."

Alaric said nothing for a moment. "I'm sorry, Megan. That's not my problem."

"Then Charlene, help us save her." She pleaded again.

He glanced at Elena, who was staring him with teary eyes, but he said nothing.

Megan opened her mouth to try again and Damon cut her off.

"That's a shame." He said. "Because the woman in charge of the crowd can help you find your wife."

Elena along with Megan looked over at him, surprised. That was news to them.

Alaric didn't believe him. "You're lying."

"Am I?" Damon challenged. "Why don't you ask her yourself?" Alaric was silent. "Coward. Come on Elena, Megan."

Megan followed him out of the classroom with Elena right behind her, but that was as far they got as Alaric's voice stopped them, causing them to turn and look at him.

"Alright." Alaric let out a heavy sigh. "I'll go."

* * *

Jeremy and Anna were still at the Grill, talking to one another. It was silent between them for a couple minutes until Jeremy spoke up.

"So, I have an answer."

Anna looked at him confused, "To what?"

"Why you should turn me," Jeremy said, like it was obvious.

Anna stared at him and sighed. "We're back to that."

"Look, I wake up every day, and I feel okay, but there's missing. Like a…like hole. They fit…in life, or whatever. I…I don't."

"So, you want a pity turn." Anna said, looking at him in disbelief. "I don't think so."

"You should turn me because I don't have anything else," Jeremy corrected her.

Anna sighed. "Do you even know why we turn people?" Jeremy shook his head and she continued, "It's not some one-way ticket out of loner hood, okay? One — we need someone to do our dirty work. Two — revenge. Three —boredom…" She chuckled to herself. "But you know that doesn't turn out well. And then you know there's the obvious one. You love someone so much that you would do anything to spend all eternity with them." She stared at Jeremy and he stared right back. Starting to feel awkward, she coughed. "I'm sorry, but you don't fit in any of those categories. She looked at the entrance and saw her mother coming in, causing her to quickly stand up. "So yeah. Just make sure your thesis is clear, and she'll love it." She ignored the confused look on his face and smiled at him softly. "See you later."

Still confused, Jeremy just nodded.

Anna headed over to her mom as she quickly sent a text message to Jeremy.

* * *

They were still in the classroom as Alaric pulled out a bag and opened it up, revealing all kinds of weapons made to kill a vampire. Megan let out a low whistle.

"Damn, you're loaded." She complimented, and her teacher couldn't help but smile, she noticed, making her grin.

Even Damon was impressed. But of course, he couldn't let Alaric know it as he let out a sarcastic comment.

"Teacher by day, vampire by night."

Alaric's smile faded, giving the vampire a slight glare. "I've got you to thank for that."

Elena changed the subject, gesturing to one of the weapons inside the bag. They looked like darts.

"Those are tranquilizer darts filled with vervain." Alaric explained.

"Just get me in." Damon cut in. "I'll get Stefan out."

Megan gave him a look. "Are you completely serious right now? You're really going to fight all those vampires all by yourself."

"Well, I'll be a little stealthier than that, hopefully. Besides, weren't you just saying you could take them on by yourself? I have a better chance at fighting against them than you would."

"Oh really? I could easily give you a brain aneurysm right now and all those other vampires too. I could take them down like that." Megan snapped her fingers. She glanced over at Alaric, who looking confused and she quickly explained, "I'm a witch." Then she looked back at the bag, taking a vervain dart out of it.

"Whoa. What are you doing?" Alaric questioned, looking at her startled.

"I'm not going to just sit around and let you guys have all the fun." Megan said in a hard tone. "I'm going with you."

"Me too." Elena added, taking a dart herself.

Of course, Damon wasn't having any of that, shaking his head. "No. No. No. No. No way."

"Well too bad, Salvatore, I'm going. That's my boyfriend and best friend in there and I'm going to be the one to save them." Megan said stubbornly. "You can distract them, and then I'll get Stefan and Charlene out."

"You'll get yourself killed." Damon snapped.

"You could get yourself killed too." Megan retorted. "You're not going to go in there by yourself." She knew it sounded like she cared, and she guessed she did, but she couldn't let Damon get hurt. He was Stefan's brother. Just like with Elena, she didn't want Stefan to lose a family member either even if he or Damon didn't see eye to eye.

"My life doesn't matter and yours does." Damon glared at her. Him saying this startled her so much that she was speechless. Taking this chance, he turned to Alaric. "So, when you get me in, get out as quickly as you can."

"Damon…" Megan finally said, trailing off when Damon interrupted her from saying anything else.

"I know how to sneak around they can't hear me. You and Elena will just be in the way."

Elena gave him an annoyed look. "Damon, now is not the time to be the lone ranger."

"Fine." He said in annoyance. "Megan, you can drive the getaway car and Elena can help when Stefan and Charlene get out. But you're not going in the house."

Megan said nothing for a moment before sighing heavily. "Okay, fine. We won't go inside the house."

"What?" Elena looked over at her.

She glanced at her. "He's right, as much as I hate to admit it." She told her. "It's too dangerous to go in there, especially for you, Elena. Charlene would kill me if I let anything happen to you. Damon will get them out and we'll be there when he does."

Elena stayed silent as she gave a reluctant nod. "Okay…"

Sensing the fighting was done, Alaric spoke. "If we're gonna go, let's go."

* * *

Alaric shivered in the pouring rain as he knocked on Ms. Gibbons door. After a few minutes, a guy opened the door, looking annoyed at being interrupted. By what? Alaric had no idea, but he guessed this guy was Fredrick, the one that captured Charlene and Stefan.

"Oh, good, someone's home." Alaric said, sighing in relief as he rubbed his hands together. "Uh, could I use your phone? My car broke down a few miles from here and this was the first house I saw."

"Lucky you," Fredrick said, eyes narrowing at him suspiciously.

Alaric chuckled. "Yeah, lucky me. It's no problem is it?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Great." Fredrick allowed him into the house, and he entered, letting out a sigh of fake relief. "Hey, man, I really appreciate it." He continued to run his hands together. "It's rough out there."

Fredrick only nodded. He looked over at Billy who had entered the room. "Billy, show our visitor where the phone is in the kitchen." He ordered. "And get me something to drink."

Billy nodded as Fredrick nodded back, giving him a look that the other vampire understood.

"Yeah, sure thing." Billy said in agreement.

Alaric nodded to Fredrick one last time before following Billy, passing a room that had more vampires inside. They were playing pool. Billy and Alaric entered the kitchen only to see Ms. Gibbons standing there, cutting up some vegetables.

"Hey, Ms. Gibbons." The woman looked up at the sound of Billy's voice. "This guy wants to use your phone."

Ms. Gibbons nodded with a sweet smile on her face, "Oh, sure honey. It's right over there." She pointed, giving Alaric a clear view of the bite mark on her wrist.

"Thanks." Alaric told her.

He headed towards the phone. Even though he couldn't see it, Ric knew that Billy was charging at him with a stake in his hand. Quickly, he turned around and grabbed the stake from Billy only to stab the vampire in the heart. Billy screamed in pain as he fell to the floor, quickly dying. Then as quick as he could, Alaric rushed over to the blender and turned it on, creating a loud noise. He grabbed onto Ms. Gibbons' arm, who asked frantically what was going on as he headed to the back door that was in the kitchen.

"I'm really sorry but you're going to need to invite a friend of mine inside." Alaric explained, opening the back door and revealing Damon on the other side.

Ms. Gibbons immediately recognized him as the person Fredrick told her not to invite in and she shook her head, looking over at Alaric. "Oh, I'm sorry. He's not allowed inside the house.

"I know that." Alaric said quickly, grabbing her upper arm. "But you have to make an exception."

"Get her out of the house." Damon ordered him. The teacher shot him a look of confusion and he rolled his eyes. "Now!" Alaric pushed her outside in front of him and he placed his hands on Ms. Gibbons' shoulders.

"Ms. Gibbons, tell me the truth. Are you married?"

She shook her head. "No." She tried to look away, but Damon tugged on her shoulders to get her to look at him again.

"Parents, children, anyone else who lives on this property?" He questioned.

"No. It's just me."

"No? Good." In a blink of an eye, Damon snapped her neck and she flopped to the ground, dead. He went to go inside but Alaric blocked his way.

"You were supposed to compel her!" he exclaimed angrily.

"It doesn't work that way." Damon tried to go inside again but Alaric held him back.

"She's human!"

"And I'm not!" Damon snapped angrily, his jaw clenching together tightly. "Now get out of here." He pushed Alaric out the door. "And get rid of the body."

He finally went inside as Alaric walked away to go back to Damon's car.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Let The Right On In, Part 3...**


	47. Let The Right On In, Part 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Vampire Diaries and never will, but I do own Charlene Davis and Megan Swann and any other characters I come up with.

 **Author's Note:** And here is the third part of Let The Right On In! I'm glad you're liking the new story and hope you continue to enjoy the reboot of Surviving in the World of Vampires! Please, please leave reviews!

And keep the votes for the poll coming!

* * *

Charlene was still stuck in the room, all by herself. The last couple hours had been torture, literally. One by one, vampires came into the room to torture her with stakes, knifes, anything they could get their hands on. She had cuts all over her body. There were ones especially on her stomach, her neck, and her thighs. The deep kind too. The blood loss made her starving for blood. Her gums were on fire, and she could feel the life leaving her body. She knew she couldn't die but it sure as hell felt like she was.

She hoped Damon was on his way to save her. She could still see the look on his face when that one vampire pushed down to her knees and pulled her hair. He actually looked…scared. Scared for her. It made her heart flutter. Maybe he did care about her, and not because she looked like Abigail, but she could always be wrong. She hoped that she wasn't.

Charlene chewed her bottom lip, wishing she knew what was going on down in the basement with Stefan. Though he was probably going through the same torture as she was, and she hated that for him.

Everyone had taken a break, so now all she could do was wait to be saved. Like a stupid, damsel in distress.

* * *

Megan sat in the car with Elena, shifting in her seat and biting her nails nervously. She fucking hated waiting especially when her friends were in danger, and she wasn't going to do it anymore.

"I hate this." Elena grumbled, getting her attention. "Why did you agree to this?"

"To get Damon to shut up." Megan said as she pulled her hand from her mouth. "He wasn't going to stop until I agreed to stay in the car and be the getaway car, but I think we've waited long enough." She pulled out a vervain dart that she had stolen from Alaric's weapons bag.

Elena suddenly grinned as she pulled out the same dart, and Megan couldn't help but grin back. Looks like they had the same idea.

Out of nowhere, a tree branch dropped on top of the car, making both of the gasp in shock.

"I think that's our clue to leave." Megan said, and Elena nodded slowly in agreement. They climbed out of the car in the pouring rain.

Megan made it to the porch with Elena and she pressed herself against the nearest wall to keep herself hidden. She made sure her best friend's sister stayed behind her. Like she said before, Charlene would kill her if she let anything happen to her sister, so she was gonna protect with all that she had even if it killed her. Megan looked around the area to see if it clear and it was thankfully. She nodded back at Elena to tell her it was okay to go. They were about to, but someone came in her line of sight and Megan quickly made Elena stop from moving.

"Billy, Jacob, get back in here!" the man, or well vampire, shouted before moving on.

"Okay, let's go." Megan whispered, reaching down to grab Elena's hand.

She took off running and dragged Elena along with her. They ran past the door to the staircase that lead to the entrance of something. Megan tried open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

"Damnit." She growled, tugging on the doorknob as hard as she could. Suddenly, she heard a crash and her head jerked over towards the sound, finding that Elena was the source of it. She had busted out one of the windowpanes of the door. Megan met her gaze and she simply smirked as she slid her hand through the windowpane to unlock the door.

Megan shook her head, smiling, before she opened the door and there at the end of the hall, was a vampire guarding the door at the of the hallway. Elena pulled her vervain syringe out while Megan didn't bother with it, deciding to make herself known instead.

"Hey asshat!" she called out.

Even though he was listening to music, he heard her. He took his earbuds out and glared at her as he stalked towards her. Megan lifted her hands, about to use her magic to take him down to prove that she could take a vampire down just as easy as another vampire could. But before she could do just that, Damon came out of nowhere and stabbed him with a vervain dart, taking him down.

Elena stepped out of the hiding spot and Megan pouted at him, putting her hands on her hips, as he turned to look at them in disbelief.

"Hey!" she protested. "I was going to do that!"

Damon ignored her protest. "Are you two insane?!"

"Maybe." Megan said with a shrug, walking over to him before moving past him. "But it's too late to turn around now. So, we're going with you whether you like or not."

Damon let out a groan. "Alright, fine! I give up."

"Good choice." Megan said, sending a smirk over her shoulder at him. "Come on, Elena." She joined her and they walked down together with Damon grumbling under his breath as he followed them.

They made it to the cellar, and Megan could just sense Stefan was in there as she threw open the door. Sure enough, there he was, and she gasped at the sight of him. He looked weak and had blood all over his body.

"Oh my god, Stefan!" Megan cried out, rushing over to him. She grabbed his face and forced him to look at her.

"Megan…" Stefan choked out as he shook his head weakly. "You shouldn't be here…"

"Well, here I am, so deal with it." Megan whispered, and he weakly smiled at her.

Of course, Damon had to say more on the subject. "She was supposed to stay in the car along with Elena."

"Where's Charlene?" Elena demanded.

"I…I don't know…" Stefan managed to reply. "They separated us…"

Elena's face crumbled a bit, and Megan quickly turned to her. "We're going to find her, Lena." She reassured her. "After we get Stefan out."

Her best friend's sister slowly nodded as Damon went over to the other vampire in the room, who had two stakes lodged in his legs.

"No. No. No. Not him." Stefan shook his head.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's get you down." He headed back over to his brother and was about to get him down, but Stefan immediately stopped him.

"There's vervain on the ropes…"

"Elena, Megan, pull that."

Megan pulled on the ropes along with Elena. They managed to get him down and caught him before he fell to the ground, lifting his weak body up.

Stefan groaned at the pressure.

"Sorry…" Megan mumbled as they walked towards the exit.

"Alright, let's go. Clothes on."

"Wait…" Stefan muttered.

"What?" Damon was getting annoyed, obviously. "Guys come on. We have to get out of here."

Megan rolled her eyes. "Stop being impatient, geez, we're going as fast as we can." She and Elena pulled the stakes out of the other vampire's legs, making him groan.

"Come on, we got to go." Damon pressed, tossing Stefan's shirt over to Megan, who managed to get it on him. "Can you get him to the car?" He asked Elena and Megan.

"Yeah, we got it from here. Just…find Charlene." Megan said, pleadingly.

He nodded at her. "Go." She nodded and smiled as she and Elena got Stefan out of there.

* * *

Charlene hated this. She needed out of this. Her prayers were answered when the door opened, revealing Damon on the other side.

"Damon…" Charlene breathed. She never thought she would be this happy to see him.

Seeing her, a flash of anger crossed his face before it settled down as he took a deep breath, then smirked at her.

"Happy to see me?" he asked, in his Damon like way, and Charlene was more than happy to hear.

"Yes." She answered, deciding to be honest.

His smirk fell and he actually gave her a genuine smile, making her decide she liked his smile better than his smirk.

"Where's Stefan? Did you get him out?"

"Megan and Elena got that covered."

Charlene's eyes went wide. "What? You let them come with you! Damon…"

"They came here on their own, they were supposed to ride the getaway car, but you know them and their stubborn selves."

They were going to get it later, but Charlene was going to let it go for now. Damon went over to her to help get her down.

"Wait, there's vervain on the ropes." She told him, stopping him before he could let her go.

"I'll risk it." He said, which surprised her.

He grabbed the ropes, grunting as the vervain burned him, but quickly pulled them off before it could burn him anymore. Charlene was released, and her body was so weak she could barely stand up to her feet. Damon headed her the shirt they had taken off and she put it on before he helped her up to her feet.

"Come on, let's get you out here." He picked her up, carrying her out of the room bridal style.

Her head rested on his chest, feeling completely exhausted. When they stepped outside, Elena suddenly appeared.

"Charlie!" she cried out in relief.

"Elena, you were supposed to get out of here!" Damon growled.

She glared at him. "I wasn't going to leave her behind! Megan has Stefan out, and I'm going to help get Charlene out."

"It's okay." Charlene said, placing a hand on Damon's cheek. He seemed to calm down and she didn't notice Elena staring at her.

He gave a curt nod and let Charlene down to her feet. Elena grabbed a hold of her sister.

"Get her out of here."

Elena nodded, giving one last glare to Damon as she walked down the hallway. Charlene gave one last look at him before they disappeared around the corner.

* * *

Finally making it outside, Megan pulled Stefan along, trying to keep him up. It was kind of difficult now since Elena had went back to help Damon find Charlene, but she managed.

"Can you make it?" Megan asked him worriedly.

He gave a weak nod at her, leaning against her without thinking about it. It made them both fall down. Megan tried to catch herself with her hands, but one of them landed on a sharp rock, cutting herself.

"Shit…" she cursed under her breath.

"Oh…you okay?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I'm good." Megan put her injured hand behind her back and tried with one arm to lift Stefan back up. She managed surprisingly. She didn't want Stefan to see her hurt hand, not knowing how he would react to seeing blood as he probably hadn't had blood in a while. "Let's just get out of here." She continued to drag him down through the woods.

* * *

Fredrick peered into the dining room only to see a staked vampire on the dining room table.

Damon, out of nowhere, caught Fredrick by surprise. They started to fight with each other throwing punches. Fredrick slammed Damon into the wall as they continued to fight. Damon countered back by throwing the vampire to the ground and he started to punch Fredrick over and over again, driven by anger about him torturing his little brother and Charlene.

But then two other vampires pulled Damon off of Fredrick, who zoomed off as soon as they did this. Damon struggled in the vampire that was holding onto him. Once he got free of them, he started to fight one of the two vampires.

Unknown to Damon, one of the vampires that had been holding him back, approached him from behind with a stake in its hand. A shot got Damon's attention and turned around only to see that the vampire that had been behind him got shot. His gaze immediately went to Alaric, who was holding a vervain dart gun in his hands. Damon stared at him for a moment before remembering Fredrick.

"I'm going after Fredrick!" he cried, running away leaving Alaric there alone by himself.

* * *

It felt like they would never make it to the car, but Megan saw the blue of Damon's car. Finally.

"We're almost there." She informed Stefan, panting softly. "Just a few more miles…"

"Megan!" There was a familiar sound of Elena's voice.

She turned around, finding Elena behind her along with Charlene, who was in her tight grip. Her best friend looked just as bad as Stefan and it hurt to see her like that. It made her angry, but she reeled it in because now wasn't the time to focus on that.

Elena managed to get over to them.

"Megan, hey." Charlene greeted weakly.

She gave her best friend a quick greeting back before facing forward. "Come on, let's get to the car." It took what seemed like forever to make it to the car, but they finally did, and Megan put Stefan in the front seat while Elena put Charlene in the back before climbing in herself. "Let's get out of here." She mumbled as she headed to the front seat to start the engine only to find the ignition and her eyes went wide. "Shit…"

"What?" Charlene and Elena asked in unison.

Before she could explain, Stefan was ripped out from the passenger seat and her head whipped around.

"Stefan!" Megan cried out, automatically getting out of the car before her friends could stop her.

She had to watch him get beat up. That was killer enough but when Fredrick stabbed Stefan in the stomach with a branch, her anger burst and she screamed, loud enough that it echoed through the entire forest. Her hands went out automatically as she focused on Fredrick and she gave him the hardest aneurysm that she ever gave.

The vampire screamed in pain, grabbing his head. She just didn't care. She wanted him to feel pain, the same pain he put on Charlene and Stefan. Megan used as much of her power as she could but not where it would drain. Once he was down to his knees, she waved her hand furiously, sending Fredrick flying into a tree.

With him down, Megan opened her eyes and relaxed before rushing over to Stefan and falling down to her knees next to him as she pulled the stake out of his stomach. "Stefan, no Stefan, wake up!" she shouted as his eyes stayed closed, showing no sign of opening back up. "Please, you have to open your eyes and get up! _PLEASE_!" By now, tears were streaming down her face. "You can't die on me! Stefan!"

* * *

Kelly was in the kitchen cooking dinner…wait, what? That's exactly what Matt's thought was when he entered the kitchen.

"Hey mom." He said slowly, getting his mom's attention. "What's going on?"

She grinned. "What's it look like?" she teased as she took out the food she was cooking from the stove and holding it out towards him.

"Honestly, I wouldn't know. I haven't seen it before."

Kelly let out a laugh. "Come on, sit down." She told her son, and he sat down. She placed the food on the table in front of him before sitting down herself, "You might want to order pizza." She smiled sheepishly, "I'm out of practice." Matt hummed in delight at what kind of food it.

Not wanting to make his mom feel bad, he dug into the food with a spoon. "Mystery casserole, yum."

"Yeah." Kelly said with a sigh. "Some people aren't meant for the kitchen.

Matt nodded, but then noticed the way his mom was looking at him. It was a sad, guilty look.

"What?" Matt asked, confused.

"Uh, I know it's been rough." Kelly said softly. "But I'm going to try. Really try this time, but you'll just have to bear with me, okay?"

Matt nodded with a smile. "Okay."

She let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, good." She returned Matt's smile.

The doorbell rang and Matt stood up to go answer it. "I got it."

Kelly winced. "That bad, huh?"

Matt just smiled and she smiled back before he headed over to front door to see who was at the door. He opened the door once he got there, revealing the person to be Caroline.

"What happened to you?" he asked amused with a grin, seeing the look on Caroline's face.

Then Sheriff Forbes appeared next to Caroline, looking serious. The grin fell from Matt's face and his stomach dropped. Something was wrong…very wrong.

"Hey, Matt." Liz greeted softly.

There was something in her tone of voice that rubbed Matt the wrong way. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked confused, looking from Liz to Caroline, then back to Liz.

"Is your mom home?" Liz asked seriously.

Matt didn't say anything, just stared at her, wondering what the hell was going on.

* * *

Mr. Lockwood headed over to leave the Grill with his phone against his ear. "Alright, give me ten minutes." He said into the phone intently as he continued to walk. "And keep it out of the news till I get." He went past Tyler, who was flirting with a girl. "Grab your stuff, we gotta go."

Tyler looked away from the girl to look at his father, a look of disbelief on his face. Buzz kill. "Kind got half a burger left."

Mr. Lockwood sighed. He looked at his son right in the eye and said the words that Tyler didn't think he would hear.

"They found Vicki Donavan."

"Are you serious?" Tyler asked, shocked. "Where is she?"

Mr. Lockwood sighed again, knowing his son wasn't going to like this.

"Storm unearthed the grave off court road." He explained. "They just brought her body down to the morgue."

"Wait."

Tyler turned around and saw Jeremy, who obviously heard what his dad said. The heartbroken look in his eyes and face showed it.

"She's dead?" Jeremy said, not believing it, but knew it was true by the look on Mr. Lockwood's face.

Mr. Lockwood just nodded. "Come on, we gotta go." He told Tyler, and he headed out the door.

However, Tyler looked at Jeremy one last time before following his father out.

* * *

No, no, no! This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't.

But it was, she was looking at Stefan's unconscious body, not even sure if he was alive or not.

"Stefan, please, you have to wake up!" Megan begged as she shook Stefan's body, hoping to rouse him awake. "If you don't get up, I'm going to kill you myself!" She tried to joke but her face crumbled as more tears streamed down her face.

From behind her, she could hear someone getting up and just knew it was Fredrick. She had to do something before he managed to get up completely. It was then she remembered her cut hand. Looking at it, she knew what she had to do, not bothering to think of the consequences that would become of it.

Taking a deep breath, Megan lifted her hand and pushed it against Stefan's mouth. "Here…take this…it'll make you feel better…" she whispered.

As soon as the blood touched his mouth, Stefan's eyes opened up and he frantically shook his head. "No, Megan, get out of here…"

"No!" She snapped. "I'm not leaving you here!" Her eyes softened. "Please…just take my wrist…drink my blood…"

"Go, Megan. Run…run…" he muttered, trying to move his mouth away from her wrist.

But she pushed it against him again. "Just drink…please…I trust you, Stefan. I trust you."

His eyes closed tightly before he finally gave into temptation. He bit harshly into her wrist, drinking her blood.

Megan winced at the pain.

* * *

Fredrick finally regained his strength. Damn witches. He stood up to his feet and spotted Stefan laying down on the ground, still as if he was dead. With a smirk, Fredrick grabbed another branch that was laying down on the ground and walked towards Stefan with the intent to kill, but he wasn't given the time to do so.

Stefan blurred up to his feet and pinned Fredrick up against a tree. He tore the branch from the other vampire's grasp, then without hesitating, he stabbed Fredrick in the chest repeatedly, showing no signs of stopping.

"Stefan!" Megan moved out of her hiding spot behind the car and quickly headed towards him. "Stefan, stop it! That's enough, he's dead! You can stop now!" She reached towards his shoulder. She barely touched him as he whirled his head around, growling at her.

She was shocked but Stefan took that as her being afraid. His face went back to normal and he looked horrified.

* * *

After taking Charlene and Elena back home, Megan stayed at the boarding house, not really wanting to be home alone. She stood in Stefan's bedroom while looking out the window. Honestly, she wasn't thinking about much. She was just glad today was finally over and she was just ready to go bed, but she wanted to talk to Stefan first.

Speaking of her vampire boyfriend.

Megan spotted him in the mirror and turned around to face him, greeting him with a weak smile. There was silence between them for a moment before she finally spoke.

"How are you doing? Feeling better?" she asked, concerned as she moved over to him.

He nodded. "I'm okay. The wounds have mostly healed. How…how's Charlene?"

"Doing better…she got some blood…so she's…she's healing nicely…" Megan said softly.

He nodded again. "That's good."

"Yeah."

"Megan…"

"Yeah?" Megan already knew what was coming. The, 'you shouldn't have been there' speech.

Stefan stared at her seriously. "What you did together…coming to help me and Charlene…you could have been killed."

"I know, but I wasn't, Stefan. I'm okay. I'm a witch, I can handle myself…" Megan tried, but then he cut her off.

"You still could have died. Just because you're a witch doesn't mean your invincible."

She was about to protest that fact, but he was right. She crossed her arms and didn't say anything. This caused Stefan to sigh.

"And what I did, I'm sorry that…I'm sorry that you had to see it."

"I know…but I wasn't scared of you." Megan said, surprising Stefan.

"You weren't?"

She shook her head. "No." She got closer to him and touched his face. "You're a vampire…you were angry…and had blood in your system…and I was just in shock. It wasn't your fault. It was my fault. I made you drink my blood…"

"What? No, no, no, no." Stefan shook his head. "You didn't make me do anything. You were saving my life. And I was saving yours." She smiled softly as he caressed her face. "Everything's gonna be okay."

Megan smiled again and let him pull her into a hug. It didn't last long as her cell phone rang, causing her to pull back and she answered it.

"Hey Elena…how's Charlene?" Megan froze at her words. "What? No…okay I'll be right there." She hung up the phone.

"What is it?" Stefan asked.

Megan looked up at him, her eyes teary. "Vicki…they found Vicki…"

* * *

They really found Vicki's body. Charlene just couldn't wrap her mind around it. The day had already been shitty and now it was just downright horrible. Charlene just wanted to go to bed, forget everything that happened today, but luckily, they were back home.

Jeremy started heading upstairs, but he only got halfway as Elena stopped him.

"Jer?" she asked quietly as he looked down at her and Charlene. "Are you okay?"

"I'm gonna get some sleep." He said, but didn't answer her question as he disappeared up the stairs.

"What are we going to do?" Elena whispered, looking over at Charlene.

"We leave him alone…" she answered softly. Her sister was about to protest, but she cut her off. "It's been a long day…we can deal with him tomorrow…"

Elena sighed heavily. "Fine…" Charlene could tell her sister didn't like the idea, but she didn't say anything more on the subject as Elena went upstairs to go to bed too.

Charlene stayed downstairs, not really wanting to go to bed. She was still hungry. She waited until Elena and Jeremy were in bed before she sneaked out of the house to get food.

She easily found someone, a jogger who was running in the middle of the night, and another one and another one. Before she knew it, she had drained four people of their blood and was now draining another one.

Charlene dropped the girl to the ground, lifting her head. Her face and mouth covered with blood.

* * *

Damon entered Stefan's room. He froze in place when he saw blood bags, all empty. Damon walked more into the room and all over the place were empty blood bags.

Looking around, his gaze landed on Stefan who was just finishing up another blood bag. Stefan looked up, blood over his mouth only to see Damon standing there.

* * *

 **TBC...**

 **In...**

 **Under Control, Part 1...**

 **Well, looks like we have another ripper on our hands. Idk why, but I just decided that Charlene should have a blood problem too along with Stefan. Just thought it would be interesting to see her that way, seeing as she was handling being a vampire too well tbh. But anyway, I hoped you liked the chapter and see you in the next episode! ;)**


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